House of Painted Idols
by EnigmaticArsenic
Summary: The love between two unlikely people will hold the key to the survival or downfall of two very ancient dynasties. [SessKik]
1. Prologue: Home

**House of Painted Idols**

...OOO...

**Prologue**

_**Home**_

...OOO...

A grey day, a light drizzle- the last of the spring rains soon to succumb to the dry, merciless summer the city was infamous for.

In the fashionable address of its green park district, a long white bus bearing the airport's emblem slowed to a stop in front of a vast, rambling estate visible only in patches through the decorative cutouts of its tall, otherwise solid fence.

The bus doors slid open and a woman's head appeared, face obscured by the long dark hair that fell across her shoulder to be met only by the warm rain until an umbrella- large, black, plain- arose to shield it.

With easy grace she disembarked followed less nimbly by a young girl in yellow rain boots and a poncho over a flower printed dress, her hair- two shades lighter than the woman's- set into two neat braids. Tiny hands- still tanned from their last month's incursion into Bali- clutched anxiously at the skirt of her companion's long tan coat, and in the rain they stood for several moments, taking in the site of the mansion before them resembling an antiquated Oriental castle; rice paper walls and peaked green roofs of tiles similar to those that topped the Mediterranean villas she was more familiar with.

But they were far away from Europe now and its ancient cities with narrow streets, the blue ocean, and the rocky coastlines- by miles and by moments. Half a year to be exact since the day she came home to their small, bare apartment with the entirety of their meager belongings packed into a pair of suitcases and two passports ready in the woman's hands.

The girl had not been surprised. She could always feel when the woman became restless though she could never tell what drove her so; why she felt so inclined to move continuously, never settling no matter how content they might have been. Something pushed at the woman, tugged at her heart, called to the blood pulsing beneath pale flesh like a siren song she could never escape. It carried in the wind- it was the wind- and always she answered by taking flight.

And obediently the little girl followed, always without question, because she loved her, and needed her, and could not live without her.

Now here they were standing before a fairytale world she had only glimpsed in tattered picture books foreign as the words she spoke, and she knew without the woman's confirmation that this was it. This was their destination- the palace of the sirens for which they had journeyed six months to reach.

"_Maman,_" she spoke in her hesitant acquired tongue. "Quel est cet endroit?" _What is this place? _

A ghost of a smile played upon the woman's pomegranate lips, the same fruit as which bound Persephone to the land of the dead, and a vague distance glazed her eyes as she murmured so quietly her singular word was lost almost to the rain-

"_Home."_

...OOO...

* * *

Yeah, no, I'm not dead... yet. I figured I'd abandoned you guys long enough so I'm back- well, that and I had this idea, the compulsion to write it, and the two hours to waste to do so.

And to answer any inevitable questions- no, I am not giving up on _Killing Perfection_ but it is still on hold because frankly it's just too hard to write winter scenes while one is melting into her seat. (Ah, wonderful summer.) So I thought I'd try something more appropriate to the season.

**Disclaimer**: the cast of Inuyasha, not mine. Don't care for them to be.

Anyway, thoughts, comments, and reviews wholly appreciated. Ciao.


	2. Chapter 1: Spare the Rain

**Chapter One**

_**An Engagement**_

...OOO...

A current of energy hummed throughout the house as servants worked feverishly to finish the preparations for that night's party. Under the careful guidance of Ms. Mai, tables were set up and covered in fine linen, bone china and sterling silver utensils set before the empty seats of that evening's guests still yet to arrive- just enough people to encompass half of the spacious ballroom. A small fete, really, in comparison to some of the others the house had hosted before, but Ms. Midoriko had insisted on something more intimate and the guests of honor had not dissented.

Ms. Mai, on the other hand, had wanted something larger, something grander. This was no ordinary party, after all, but a party to announce her only daughter's engagement and she had thought a gala more appropriate to the occasion than merely a small gathering. But who was she to say? She was only Kagome's mother, and once her elder sister Midoriko set her mind to an idea, she was unwavering in her decision.

Sighing slightly, Mai abandoned the perceived injustice to direct a pair of workers, arms laden with bouquets of flowers.

"No, no, no!" she corrected. "Those don't belong there. They're for the bar. Please set them over to the side."

A hand fluttered to her forehead, warding away an oncoming headache. She had never thought planning a party could be so difficult, but as Kagome was her only daughter, she had insisted on undertaking the entire event without help of a professional planner- a choice she was minute by minute beginning to regret as more and more workers piled in: caterers with trays of hors d'oeuvres and stacked champagne glasses, technicians checking the sound system for that night's entertainment, even more delivery men with flowers. They flooded in endlessly, wearing even her maternal patience thin with the chaos of their wake.

A small tap on her shoulder did the trick and she whirled around, ready to snap at the interruption… only to smile at the site of her daughter, dressed and primped ahead of schedule.

"How do I look?" Kagome asked with a half nervous smile, tugging away at the skirt of her spring green, satin ball gown.

"Oh, sweetheart…" Her mother was breathless, beaming proudly with a small tear in her dark cerulean eyes. "Spin around," she commanded excitedly. "Let me look at all of you."

Obligingly, Kagome twirled on her toes ending in a deep curtsy the way Western maidens in fairytales once did when presented at court. She grinned up at Mai who now held a handkerchief to her mouth, overcome with emotion at seeing her young daughter so regaled.

"Gorgeous," she murmured. "Simply gorgeous."

A deep flush tainted Kagome's fair complexion.

"You think so?" she laughed. "I hope Inuyasha feels the same. Where is he, by the way? Have you seen him?"

"Ah…" her mother thought for a moment. "Ah, yes, I believe I saw him step out into the balcony several moments ago. Maybe he's still there."

"Ok, thanks, Mom. By the way," she added with one sweeping glance, "this party is starting to look really nice. Thank you for everything."

And suddenly all the stress of the day melted away for Mai.

"Oh, thank you, dear."

Giving her mother a quick kiss on the cheek, Kagome hurriedly spun away to hunt for her truant fiancé.

...ooo...

As Mai had prescribed, Inuyasha stood at the second floor balcony, heaving one weary sigh and flicking at a drop of rain water clinging unceremoniously to his black lapel. He shuddered from a cold breeze and tucked his hands into his pockets, staring out into the graying dusk and thinking once again how much he hated the rain- hated it because she had loved it and hence it reminded him of her.

Out of the corners of his eyes, a movement caught his attention and he traced it to the street in front of the manor where a woman was quickly making her way under a large black umbrella, a small child in tow. The image stabbed at his heart and for the briefest of moments he could have sworn he recognized her face, and he leaned out to get a closer view. But it was too late. The woman had turned away, and every drop of rain pounding his silver head taunted his eager stupidity.

Of course it wasn't her.

Another heavy sigh and he tilted his face to the sky.

God, why was he even thinking about her? Of all moments to do so, this was certainly the most inappropriate… or perhaps it was only natural, but either way, he felt guilty.

"Inuyasha?" The hushed voice caused him to turn.

Framed by the brightly lit doorway, Kagome stood staring at him questioningly.

"Yeah?" he asked, his own tone gruff with disuse.

"Everything alright?" She took an uncertain step towards him.

"Yeah," he answered quietly. "Just getting some fresh air."

Coming closer, she smiled at his response.

"Are you nervous?" she asked.

And quickly he replied, "No, of course not."

"Oh." A small breath escaped her lips as she admitted, "I am. Very nervous."

"Don't be," he told her, guiding her hand to his arm. "Everything's going to go fine."

"I sure hope so."

Silently, they stood shoulder to shoulder, gazing out into the grey world before, and at last she commented:

"I sure hope this rain ends soon- before everyone starts arriving."

"Yeah," he agreed. "Me too." Albeit, for a wholly different reason.

...OOO...

* * *

Yeah, another short one. I know my chapters are usually longer, but I'm working on something else, so for the sake of frequent updates expect future chapters to be about this long, though later on they might expand more as the story gets under way. 


	3. Chapter 2: Three Days Grace

**Chapter Two**

_**Three Days Grace**_

...OOO...

The house was aglow from the inside, lit by a warm internal flame. Paper lanterns hung from the eaves and fairy lights were woven through the branches of the leafy trees lining the entrance.

Even from where they stood shadowed by the tall wall-like fence, they could feel the energy vibrating from the house as hundreds of servants rushed to and fro in preparation of the celebration- a birthday, a commendation, a homecoming.

She found it almost ironic, and she stood for a moment smiling to herself until the fairy lights flickered on and spurred her to movement.

Abruptly, Kikyo turned away.

"Venez," she said to the little girl beside her. "_Come along, Sakura._"

Broken from her own spell, Sakura glanced up and ran quickly to avoid becoming left behind.

"Oui, _maman_. Où allons-nous?" _Where are we going? _

Without looking down, Kikyo searched for her hand and caught it, guiding her carefully across the rain slicked street.

"Notre hôtel est de cette façon." _Our hotel is this way._

They walked the three blocks to their modest new dwelling in silence.

A thousand inquiries ran through Sakura's mind about the big house they had just seen, and why _Maman_ had referred to it as "home," but she understood this was no time for words.

_Maman_ was tense. She could feel it- not only in the outward signs: the way the line of Kikyo's mouth had hardened to something almost fierce, the way the pale hand gripping hers had become rigid and vicelike. But she could divine it as well in the aura the older woman emanated, so normally at ease (if not perpetually wary) now clouded over, troubled by something only akin to worry and fear and doubt but was not quite so. _Maman_ rarely felt such things. Rather it was something Sakura could not fully comprehend, and in turn it made her doubtful and scared and worried that she could not put a name to this sudden new emotion radiating from her _maman_ so intensely.

Instinctively, her grasp tightened to reciprocate Kikyo's, and she refused to let go even after they entered the hotel.

At the front desk, her _maman _spoke to the man behind the counter, using the over pronounced tongue Sakura rarely heard but understood nonetheless.

"Kikyo Mamoto," she announced with the easy confidence Sakura so admired. "We've a reservation."

Clicking some keys on his computer, the man scanned the screen.

"Ah, yes," he replied. "One room, two queen beds, for three nights- is this correct."

Kikyo gave a short nod and he handed her a small pamphlet along with a set of plastic key cards.

"Your room will be on the third floor to the left. We do serve a complimentary continental breakfast in the morning between six and ten, and if there is anything else we can do for you, please do not hesitate to contact the front desk." A wide grin as plastic as the keys plastered itself painfully across his narrow face.

"Yes," she answered. "I believe we've some luggage delivered to this hotel. Has it by chance arrived?"

The same fake smile and, "Let me check."

The man disappeared behind the wall to return momentarily with a pair of aged leather suitcases and a smaller quilted duffle bag.

"Are these the ones?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Of course."

The man continued to grin as Kikyo accepted the luggage.

"And will you require assistance with those?"

"No. Thank you," she replied crisply, not liking the way the man's words dripped so thickly while his eyes laughed behind small, pretentious glasses.

Dropping Sakura's hand, she handed the girl the quilted bag and took up the two larger ones.

Together they proceeded unto the elevator and up to their room, Sakura thoughtful.

Three days the man had said. Was that all?

She was a little disappointed. During the bus ride, she had seen only a glimpse of the city, but she had been greatly excited. Kikyo usually preferred smaller towns and cities with open skies and open air and rarely did they ever stay in a place such as this with its towering skyscrapers and overcrowded atmosphere. Even Paris- wonderful Paris- was nothing at all like this jungle of steel and concrete and glass, glimmering like the Emerald City in an old movie she once saw, and she wanted to see it all, experience all the wonderful things just waiting to be discovered.

"_Maman_?" she asked tentatively, looking up with hope.

Kikyo glanced down at her, "_Yes_?"

Her voice was soft and even, spoken in the same maternal tone the girl had grown to love so dearly, but in her earthen eyes Sakura could read the trouble her voice so aptly hid, and she felt ashamed for being so selfish as to add to its presence.

Dropping her gaze contritely, she murmured softly, "Ça ne fait rien." _Never mind._

Absently, Kikyo brushed her hair back as the elevator pinged, announcing their arrival at the desired floor.

Down the hall, room 313 awaited them with its two identical beds underneath two identical lamps, a dresser and a T.V. set just across a narrow aisle, a round table in one corner beside a window that overlooked the street below.

The sight suddenly wearied Kikyo, and hefting the two large suitcases unto one bed, she crossed the room to stare silently out the window- the blackened city and a ghost of her reflection staring back at her.

She stifled at a sigh.

What was she doing back here anyway? Surely there must have been an easier way to accomplish the needed task at hand. But try as she might, she could think of no other way. A quick resolution was necessary and there was no faster way to than for her to do it herself- even if it meant confronting everyone she'd left behind so long ago.

The faster she acted, she decided, then the faster it could be done and over with. The faster she could put it behind her.

Three days, she had told herself. Three days. Two more than needed, but just in case...

Then they could be away again to wherever the wind blew, whichever corner of the world their heart desired. And most importantly, they would be free, Sakura would be safe, and at last they could land, settle in some distant paradise. At last they would be able to afford the luxury of a home- just a patch of land to call their own.

"_Maman_?" Sakura's small concerned voice floated into her thoughts and brought her back from her reverie.

Turning, Kikyo smiled to appease the young girl's worry.

"_You must be hungry, Sakura_. _Why don't you take a bath now and I'll send for some food._"

"Oui, _maman_."

Obediently, the girl disappeared into the adjoining bathroom, leaving the door open a crack as she filled the tub with water, undressed, and immersed herself in its shallow warmth.

Kikyo waited for a small splash before picking up the phone to dial for a delivery. Then she joined Sakura in the bathroom to help her dry up and dress in an old flimsy slip that doubled for a nightgown, and which Kikyo once again reminded herself needed to be replaced with a proper one.

Sakura, however, seemed not to notice as she knelt grinning on the counter top while Kikyo combed out her hair and wrapped it turban style with a towel.

At the table, they fell to laughing as they slurped fat lo mein noodles and Sakura tried to properly utilize her chopsticks only to fail and resort to stabbing her meat with it.

Afterwards, the table was cleared and she settled herself with a drawing pad and a box of crayons, etching away in wax the lighted city framed by the window while Kikyo took her turn in the tub.

In the placidity of their hotel room, she could hear the slight raking sound of crayon scraping against paper, the tiny _pink_ as one was set down and replaced by another hue, the small _'achoo' _of Sakura's sneeze.

Once again, she smiled to herself, and thought;

_Three days..._

...OOO...

* * *

Ok, so like two people are reviewing this story. Ha ha, but oh well. No reviews mean no pressure to update, I guess. (Whoa, did that sound like a veiled threat, lol. Then again, if no one's reviewing, then that means no one cares, and hence a threat to not update would be moot... Hm, I think I'm over thinking this one. I'm gonna stop now and go eat a mango...)

Ciao for now, y'all!


	4. Chapter 3: Family Matters

**Chapter 3**

_**Family Matters**_

...OOO...

An oasis of living green nestled amongst the jungle of steel, concrete, and glass, the city's Park district was arguably its most exclusive neighborhood. Located just ten minutes from downtown, it was a community of large expansive mansions, spacious apartments, and high end shops and restaurants all within a park like setting, and in the center stood Goshinboku Manor.

A large, stately compound comprising of four impressive houses, two Olympic sized swimming pools (indoor and out), tennis courts, an archery range, and several landscaped gardens all encompassed by a tall private fence, it was touted as the real estate jewel of the city and one of the premier homes in the entire country, and for generations upon generations it remained in the possession of two illustrious and prestigious families.

The story of the centuries old alliance between the House of Higurashi and House of InuTaisho dated long before the city was the thriving metropolis and culture center it now was and had been lost to time as nothing more than an obscure legend, but to this day, the two families continued to reside in Goshinboku and kept the customs of their forefathers. They were close-knit and coexisted by a set system of unwritten rules carried on by tradition meant to keep the two families 1) thriving and surviving, 2) united, and 3) separate. The first was achieved through several joint ventures in business and finances which throughout the years kept both households in an enviable state of luxury. The second and third were interconnected and accomplished utilizing one time tested method- the arranged marriage.

Of course, in recent decades, attitudes had grown lax on both sides, and the marriages weren't necessarily arranged, but still tradition dictated that a Higurashi should wed an InuTaisho in order to carry on the alliance, but whether freely or not varied with each generation, for it was not uncommon that two of the children should fall in love and marry of their own accord. There was no strict guideline as to who could marry whom except that both children had to be of the main blood line of their respective families, and that it could be anyone other than the first born of either house. This ensured that both houses would remain distinct entities, their separate blood and heritage assured by the free first born and yet united by the marriage of the other child.

For centuries, the system had served the families well until the last generation when a small infraction had occurred. The previous Lord Inutaisho had produced only one heir to his blood line- a son- and although a marriage had been sought between one of his cousins and one of the three Higurashi sisters, it was the current Lord instead who decided to wed one of their cousins, a niece of the late Lord Higurashi- the lovely and devoted Izayoi.

It had caused something of a stir from his old father, but in the end love prevailed and the two were married and produced a pair of offspring- a son, Inuyasha, and a little daughter, Rin.

Now, however, the situation had been reversed, for although the House of InuTaisho had two candidates for the wedding altar (both Inuyasha and Rin having been superceded by another son from Inutaisho's first wife), the House of Higurashi was down to its final daughter, and she was not even a child of the main line carried out through the first born of each generation.

Kagome Higurashi was the love child of an unknown father and Mai, the youngest of the Lady Kaede's three daughters, but she was the only one of her generation aside from some second cousins- Miroku, the nephew of Izayoi, and Sango and Kohaku, the great niece and nephew of Kaede- but they were even further away from the main bloodline. In Kagome alone rested the responsibility to carry on the legacy of her house, and yet in her alone did the duty rest to marry into the House of InuTaisho and continue on the alliance between the two families.

And so it was that very night her engagement to her own second cousin Inuyasha would be announced for all the world to celebrate.

And it was a celebration... or should have been anyway.

After all, Kagome did not even consider it a duty.

No, she was in love with the boy, and he with her. Their infatuation with one another was undeniable and they made the perfect couple despite their constant bickering- everyone said so. In a few months, they would consummate the engagement and move into the currently unoccupied South manor, the customary dwelling of the bridging couple, where they would birth and raise many children- the first of which would ensure the preservation of the Higurashi line.

It was the best hope for the dwindling family, and yet Midoriko could not help but worry.

As Lady Kaede's second daughter, she was now the active head of the Higurashi household after the tragic death of her elder sister Mitchiko and her husband in an auto accident nearly twenty years ago, and to be sure, she was used to the political order of the two entwined families, used to her share of duties and responsibilities. But that was why she was so worried.

She herself had never married or born any children and with the entirety of their ancient bloodline resting solely on Kagome, she could not help but be concerned for its survival. Kagome, after all did not even have the choice to take the route of the present Lord InuTaisho and marry a more distant cousin of his (he had none), but had to instead marry directly into the main branch of the family. She would, in all technicalities, then no longer be a Higurashi but an InuTaisho, and Midoriko greatly feared that in another generation or two, her house would be completely assimilated into that of its ally.

And what of the next generation? she wondered to herself.

Even should Kagome and Inuyasha produce a first born who would bear the Higurashi name, what would become of the marriage alliance? Surely the child could not be expected to marry one of his own siblings or any close first cousin. It was incest, immoral and illegal by any standard and law.

And what of the generation after that?

Midoriko could think of no solution to the situation that seemed to doom the families to either drift, their bloodlines little by little becoming diluted from the outside, or to merge completely and lose all distinction from one another.

She sighed heavily.

And if only the problems were limited to questions of blood, but alas, money and a play for power also weighed heavily into the marriage question.

Kagome was a lovely girl, a wonderful child, really, greatly beloved by their circle of mutual friends and acquaintances and the general population. She was a good public face to put on the family, but she was hardly equipped to deal with the business side of their organization, lacking both the natural knack and training for such obligations. It was useless to believe she could on her own terms keep the family finances thriving. Rather for her to have any hope of succeeding, she would need heavy guidance from the future head of the InuTaisho house itself, and Midoriko could not decide what was worse- that her niece should fail and bring about the monetary ruin of their family or that she should be held subject to the whims of the future Lord Inutaisho.

If only Inuyasha had been the true first born of his father, then at least he and Kagome would be on equal footing as partners both in marriage and in business, but as mentioned, Inutaisho already had a son from a previous marriage.

Cold, arrogant, and conceited, Midoriko had no great liking for Sesshomaru. He was too detached and aloof, too foreign, and she could not for the life of her understand why Inutaisho himself insisted on keeping him heir to his bloodline. Having just moved into the manor after a lifetime growing up in distant boarding schools and spending holidays with his recently deceased mother, Akari InuTaisho, Sesshomaru himself seemed little interested in the family politics of his house or of the Higurashi's and their shared history and customs. In fact, the only thing Sesshomaru seemed concerned about was his own personal agenda, and she highly doubted he would put them aside for the better good of both of their families. She hardly doubted he would adhere to their standards and values and honor their traditions.

And yet without a strong leader of their own, the entire Higurashi house and all its assets would be at the mercy of this man.

Sighing wearily, Midoriko massaged a hand across her forehead and fought off the desperate urge to miss her elder niece's presence.

If anyone- anyone- could match Sesshomaru's ambition and hold him back it would be Kikyo.

A brilliant and prodigious student, she had shown all the makings of a great matriarchal leader. She was poise, calm, and level headed, strong-willed but adaptable. Where and when it mattered, she never compromised, but always, she was willing to work with others to achieve a desired goal if possible. She had a great aptitude for business and financial matters and proved to be politically adept as well during the years she spent on different levels of the student body at her school. In short, she was a well rounded person more than capable of seeing the family through the current crisis (as Midoriko termed it).

But in one respect, perhaps she was too much like Sesshomaru in that Kikyo also had had no interest in her familial obligations, choosing instead to abdicate her role as the future head of the Higurashi household and leave home to pursue her own selfish desires.

Kagome would just have to do, she decided, because for all practical purposes and every sense Midoriko was concerned, Kikyo was dead.

...OOO...


	5. Chapter 4: Tying Knot, Noose, and Bow

_**EXTRA FEATURE**_

_**So, since a couple of people were confused by the last chapter, I thought I would clarify how everyone is related to everyone else. **_

**The InuTaisho Family**

**_Inutaisho- _**the father, obviously.

**_Iyazoi- _**his wife and mother of _Inuyasha_ and_ Rin_, stepmother to_ Sesshomaru_. She is also the niece of _Kaede_'s late husband by his younger sister.

**_Sesshomaru- _**first son of Inutaisho and his exwife, **_Akari_**. Aside from his immediate family and_ Totosai_, he is not blood-related to anyone else in the story.

**_Inuyasha- _**second son of Inutaisho and Izayoi which would make him _second cousin_ to both _Kikyo, Kagome_, and _Miroku_.

**_Rin- _**eight year old daughter. (Also second cousin to _Kikyo, Kagome_, and _Miroku_.)

**_Totosai- _**Inutaisho's demented uncle.

**The Higurashi family**

**_Kaede- _**mother to _Mitchiko_ (deceased), _Midoriko_, and _Mai_. Grandmother to _Kikyo_ and _Kagome_. Great-aunt to _Miroku_, _Sango_, and _Kohaku_.

**_Midoriko- _**second daughter, unmarried, no children. The active head of the family.

**_Mai-_** _Kagome_'s mother.

(_Mai _and _Midoriko_ are _Izayoi's_ cousins.)

**_Kikyo- _**daughter of _Mitchiko _and her husband _Daisuke Mamoto _(also deceased). The true heir of the family bloodline.

**_Kagome- _**love child of _Mai_ and an unknown father, younger cousin to _Kikyo_, second cousin of _Miroku, Sango, _and _Kohaku_.

_**Miroku- **Kikyo _and _Kagome's _cousin on their grandfather's side.

**_Sango _**and _**Kohaku- **Kikyo _and_ Kagome's _cousins on Kaede's side.

**Others**

_**Akari- **Sesshomaru's _mom. Recently dead.

**_Myoga- _**an old lawyer in the service of Inutaisho who now resides in the Manor.

**_Jaken-_** _Sesshomaru's _accountant and personal assistant.

There, hope that cleared up some confusion. Now on to chapter four...

* * *

...OOO...

**Chapter Four**

_**Tying Knot, Noose, and Bow**_

...OOO...

Goshinboku Manor consisted of four dwellings- the main mansion along with the East, West, and South houses.

Currently empty, the South House was the traditional habitation of the Higurashi-InuTaisho union and would soon, in a few months time, be occupied by Inuyasha and Kagome.

The eastern and western homes on the other hand housed the respective leaders of both families.

The Lord Inutaisho, his wife Izayoi, and their children Inuyasha and Rin lived primarily in the West House, but Midoriko, being unmarried and without kids, had passed the East House to her younger sister Mai and her daughter Kagome.

Midoriko herself chose to remain in the North mansion- the largest of the four that served to host many of the families' joint functions along with housing its singles and retirees. Along with Lady Midoriko, the main house also quartered the elderly Lady Kaede, Sango and her brother Kohaku, Miroku, Inutaisho's partially demented uncle Totosai, and Myoga- an old lawyer in service to his family for many generations and was granted something of an honorary status within the household.

Just last summer, however, the house took in a new addition in the form of Sesshomaru, Inutaisho's eldest son who finally agreed to move into the manor to "learn the ropes of the family structure" after the tragic death of his own mother Akari.

Even now, almost a year later, he was still finding it difficult to accustom himself to the daily routines of the two families, of having to share even such a large space such as the manor with so many others whom he held so little regard for. He had never been a man of a social nature and he found it hard to be surrounded by people- especially ones such as these who were under the mistaken impression he was somehow just another one of them.

Sesshomaru was anything but like these frivolous creatures who gave so little thought to important matters, seeking instead to while away their days in the pointless pursuits of amusement and distraction. The elders of the families, of course, saw to business and finances, but it was the younger generations- his peers- whom he found utterly annoying. Like most born to wealth and privilege, they took what was given for granted and utilized their advantages for pleasure. They were unproductive leeches caring nothing of their future duties and responsibilities to uphold themselves and their households. If he _were_ to take on his father's role as the leader of the House of InuTaisho, then it would rest solely upon him to shoulder the burden of both families for he highly doubted any reliable leader could come from the Higurashi clan- certainly not the flippantly childish Kagome who was more interested in her social calendar than any financial or business meeting.

Then again, for him to accept the seat of his father was still a big "if". It was not that he did not desire the power it carried- rather he saw the acquisition of that power as his right, being after all Inutaisho's eldest- but it was also a cumbersome position in his mind, restricted by too many unwritten sets of conduct that regulated every member of the allied houses.

Though accused (never to his face, of course) of being everything from detached to calloused to downright cold hearted, the one thing Sesshomaru could never be charged of was of being anything less than honorable. On the rare occasions he gave his word, he never failed to execute it to the fullest extent. He never wavered and he never compromised in action or in principle, but though he admired his father as a man of power, he saw no value in the alliances he chose to continue.

Sesshomaru cared nothing for his family's age old ties to the Higurashi's, nor did he- a man of solitude- find any appeal in the thought of having to care for both houses when he succeeded his father.

_If_ he succeeded his father, he told himself stubbornly.

Yet here he was, grimacing at his faint figure reflected on the wide glass window of his private sitting room. He was dressed in a cool white suit for that evening's celebration and was at the moment attempting to finish his red bow tie for the tenth time, but it continued to disobey his silent commands. The only thing keeping his frustration from registering on his face was the refusal to admit his patience had been beaten by an inanimate piece of cloth.

Still, he couldn't help but scowl at his image as once more it came out crookedly.

Why was he bothering with it anyway?

To him this night held as much significance as any other night, never mind that it was supposedly a celebration of his younger half-brother's engagement to the Higurashi girl.

Everyone touted it as "love", but Sesshomaru did not believe in such lofty notions. To him, Inuyasha's engagement was nothing more than a fulfilment of yet another familial duty. An everyday occurrence, really.

As he tried once again to correct his belligerent tie, a small movement caught his peripheral vision and he glanced to his left.

Inuyasha had exited out on a nearby balcony and was staring dolefully at the drizzling rain. He was dressed in a charcoal black tux that although had been pressed just hours before, still managed to hang from his body in easy casualty. A heavy sigh lifted his chest and he stuffed his hands into his pocket.

Sesshomaru nearly smirked. With his sagging shoulders and dejected air, Inuyasha looked more like a man ready for a funeral than for a wedding.

For a brief second, Sesshomaru allowed himself to indulge in the pleasure that although he was the elder brother, it would not be his head hanging from the noose that night.

Then suddenly, Inuyasha stirred from his repose and eagerly thrust the upper half of his body from the balcony, an excited expression planted over his once melancholy face. But then just as quickly, he withdrew. Sighed again.

Curious, Sesshomaru followed his gaze out onto the street. Under a wide black umbrella, a dark haired woman was making her way past the mansion and over the cross walk with a small child in hand.

He frowned slightly, bewildered.

Why would such a random, everyday sight cause such a rise from the little fool? Surely Inuyasha was not thinking of abandoning his responsibility to marry Kagome to run away with some anonymous pretty face in the rain.

Not that he, Sesshomaru, personally cared, but their father would skin him alive for even entertaining the thought.

A second later, however, another figure joined his brother's on the balcony. Talking quietly amongst themselves, Kagome laced her arms through Inuyasha's and together the two stared off into the misty downpour.

Sesshomaru returned his attention to his tie.

He never understood them, and he never cared to.

...ooo...

An hour later, the guests poured in and were seated around the prepared ballroom where Inutaisho and his counterpart Midoriko at last announced the official engagement of their houses. Cheers were cried, a thunderous applause, and then dinner and champagne finished off with a round of toasts to the happy pair. After that came the dessert and dancing.

The entire evening passed impassively by Sesshomaru.

Checking his watch one more time, he wondered if it was yet appropriate to retire to his own rooms when a high ringing voice yelled out;

"Brother Sesshomaru!"

Sesshomaru barely had time to look up before his leg was viciously attacked by Rin, his half-sister of eight years and nothing more than a conglomeration of over excited atoms.

"Dance with me!" she demanded, clinging to his leg and wrinkling the suit.

Sesshomaru gently pried her off.

"Perhaps another time, Ri-"

"RIN!" Inuyasha's voice cut his off as the younger brother pushed his way past the crowd. "There you are you little rugrat! Grab her, Sesshomaru, before she runs off with Kagome's ring again."

The elder brother glanced down at the young girl who grinned back impishly, opened her mouth wide, and held up the glittering diamond band, ready to swallow it up.

"NO!" Several feet away, Inuyasha lunged for her.

In one cool movement, Sesshomaru swiped the ring from Rin and tugged her away.

Their brother kissed the floor.

Without registering the pain, Inuyasha whirled around.

"The ring! You didn't..."

Sesshomaru tossed it to him, and he caught it gratefully, sighing in relief.

Meanwhile Rin giggled wildly.

"I wasn't really going to eat it," she explained innocently.

Inuyasha was about to reprimand her for playing such a trick when he was interrupted by the arrival of his mother.

"Inuyasha, Rin, Sesshomaru!" Izayoi called in her maroon dress. "Come along, you three. The photographers want a picture of the entire family."

Obediently, Inuyasha went off with the ring, and Rin wrenched at Sesshomaru's hand.

"Come on, come on," she urged. "I wan' a picture too."

If it were anyone else but Rin, he would have given her the death glare, but if it were anyone else but Rin, she would have probably been too terrified to approach him in the first place, let alone have the audacity to command him around. As it was, Sesshomaru didn't try to resist but consoled himself with the thought that perhaps afterwards he would finally be allowed to leave.

...OOO...

* * *

Ha, I told PurePower I'd update today. He he. You know what to do. 


	6. Chapter 5: A Snapshot of Today

**Chapter Five**

_**A Snapshot of What is Now **_

...OOO...

The day dawned hazy and overcast.

Pale light filtered in past the glass of the window and roused Kikyo from sleep. At her side, Sakura had curled into a tight ball, one hand to her face, a thumb inserted to her mouth, and the other gripping at Kikyo's arm.

Gently, she tried to free herself without waking the young girl, but it was useless.

Sakura stirred, bleary eyes opening to the site of the older woman rising from bed.

"_Maman?_" she asked, a trickle of panic rising in her throat.

"Sh..." Kikyo answered softly, stroking her head for comfort. "_It's alright, Sakura. You can sleep some more- I'm only going down to the lobby for some coffee._"

Shaking her head vigorously, Sakura pushed herself to a sitting position.

"_No, no,_" she insisted. "_I'm up._"

"_Alright,_" Kikyo conceded. "_Come along then and dress. We'll have some breakfast downstairs_."

She helped the still sleepy Sakura into a thin cotton dress, fixed the braids of her hair, and then together they went to the hotel's breakfast area. As Sakura happily slurped cold cereal and milk, Kikyo sipped hot black coffee and flipped through that morning's paper.

There was the same old world news on the front cover, followed by some local headlines, the business pages, sports, and then, right there on the front of the lifestyle section, Kikyo froze.

A photograph stared back at her, grainy and slightly out of focus, but undeniably recognizable all the same.

They were all there- Her grandmother Kaede, Aunts Midoriko, Mai, and Izayoi who was really a cousin of sorts. Standing beside her was her husband, Lord Inutaisho with a bubbling little girl in his arms that she concluded to be Rin, though she had not seen the girl since she was nothing more than a baby. Her cousins Miroku, Sango, and Kohaku- now grown into adolescence- flanked one end of the group while old Totosai, Myoga, and the one face she did not know but whom the caption identified as 'Sesshomaru' completed the other.

They were all regaled in tuxedos and ball gowns, all (well, almost all) were beaming brightly into the camera, all happily content and celebrating. There was no trace of her absence to be found in their smiles, no hint of it in their silent laughter.

She had not really expected them to miss her- one of the reasons why she had felt so little guilt in leaving in the first place- but their disregard for her omitted attendance was not what had drawn her attention. It was the couple in the middle.

There with his arms loped easily around Kagome's waist was Inuyasha, grinning along with the rest of them.

The heading read in big, bold letters: **City's Elite Celebrates the Engagement of Inuyasha InuTaisho and Kagome Higurashi. **

Every words stabbed cruelly at her heart.

They were engaged?

But how...?

Desperately, her eyes scanned the black and white page searching for something she could not even comprehend. There was nothing to be found.

Of course he was engaged. Hadn't she known all along he would be someday?

Was not that why she had left in the first place? Because she had been unable to bear the thought of seeing him wedded to another?

She just never expected it to be Kagome...

In her heart, Kikyo was utterly confused as to how to take the news, as to how she was supposed to feel, but anger was fastly rising against all other emotions.

_How could he? _she demanded. _How could he stand there looking so happy and content when she..._

Out of all of them, she had always thought that he at least would express some sort of regret for her absence. But apparently, she had been greatly mistaken.

He did not miss her. He did not care at all...

"_Maman?_"

Sakura's hushed voice brought her back from her reverie, and Kikyo glanced up, folding the paper neatly though her hands wavered slightly.

"Êtes-vous bien?" she asked, a small line creasing her tanned forehead concernedly.

Drawing in a short breath, Kikyo nodded slowly.

"Oui," she assured. "_I'm alright... Are you finished, Sakura? We must be going shortly- we've many things to accomplish today._"

Sakura gave her one final studious glance but hurriedly devoured the rest of her cereal.

_Maman _did seem alright. Perhaps it had just been her imagination.

Quickly, she gulped down the last of the milk in the bowl.

"_I'm finished,_" she confirmed, smiling with sticky, wet lips.

Kikyo returned the smile and took her hand, dropping off their trash on the way to the door.

Outside, the heat of the sun had dissipated the early morning haze, and the day was now bright and cloudless.

As they stood at a corner crosswalk crowded with commuters waiting for the light to change green, Kikyo glanced down at Sakura's glossy head and dismissively shook her head.

Once again, she smiled slightly.

What had she been thinking anyway?

She had not come back to this city to reminisce or stir up old flames. She had not come back because of _him_.

Kikyo was here for one thing, and one thing only. And once she had it, she would leave just as quickly and never have reason to return again.

Let them be happy without her. She herself was satisfied with what she had.

When the light turned green, they followed the rest of the crowd across the congested street and continued on down the block overflowing with people- tourists and city dwellers alike going about their daily business.

A small corner stand captured Kikyo's attention, and they stopped. It was a street side flower vendor with an open display of row upon raised row of large plastic barrels filled to the brim with colorful blossoms.

"_Would you like a flower, Sakura?_" she asked.

The little girl broke out into a wide excited grin, "_May we, maman?_"

"_Yes..._" Kikyo replied contemplatively. "_I believe we shall._"

"What will it be, Miss?" the round woman behind the booth solicited. "We got some bootiful booquets," she said, over pronouncing the 't'. "Them orange lilies are mighty nice this year, too."

Absently, Kikyo responded, "Yes..."

"Take yer time," the woman replied placidly, fanning herself with a paper fan.

As Kikyo scoured the tiered rows of bobbing floral heads, another customer appeared beside them.

"Ah, welcome, welcome, sir!" their vendor greeted excitedly, espying a customer with obvious money.

The man did not reply but briskly comb through the selection to show his interest.

Sakura stared up at him in awe. He was a giant of a man- so tall he seemed to rival the surrounding sky scrapers, broad shouldered, and solidly built. His severe but flawless countenance was set in stern attention, and long silver hair cascaded down his back like a waterfall. Despite the day's overwhelming heat, he was meticulously dressed in a suit and managed to look cool.

He was the most amazing man Sakura had ever come across.

Then abruptly, he cast his eyes down at her, and she looked away, embarrassed at having been caught. But when he returned his attention to the flowers, she could not help but take another peek.

Selecting an arrangement of bright yellow lilies, he asked the woman, "How much?"

The tone of his voice was deep but quite, like a singular molten note of a brass bell carried by a breeze.

"Ah, for you, good sir- a very good price." The woman named her charge and he paid it from a billfold he produced from the deep pockets of his cool grey pants.

He replaced the wallet but when he moved to accept the receipt with the same hand, it tumbled out unheeded onto the sidewalk.

"Thank you, thank you," the vendor keeper gushed, bowing over and over again in respect. "Please be a come again."

"Hn." He said nothing more as he spun in one easy step and walked away.

Sakura's eyes widened, unable to believe the man did not notice the missing wallet so heavy with cash.

"_Maman, maman!_" she cried excitedly, tugging at a leg of Kikyo's jeans. "_The man dropped his wallet!_"

Turning from her shopping, Kikyo stared first at the wallet in Sakura's hands and then at the retreating back of the man.

She smiled.

"_Go on, Sakura,_" she encouraged. "_You know what's to be done._"

Sakura nodded resolutely.

Releasing her hold on Kikyo, she ran after the man.

"Monsieur! Monsieur! Attente, s'il vous plaît!"

She ground to a halt when he revolved to face her, his stringent golden eyes locking her in place.

"Uh...um..." she stammered fearfully before holding up his wallet and explaining in stumbling words and wild gestures, "Votre pochette... Vous l'avez laissé a la-bas... Ma _maman_... Elle... HERE!" Her tongue threw out the only domestic word she could, at the present circumstance, grasp, and hurriedly she thrust the wallet up to him.

It took him a second to pluck the wallet from her fingers.

"Thank you," he informed her in the same cool, detached tone he'd used with the flower vendor, and then he walked off.

Freed from her paralysis, Sakura quickly galloped back to Kikyo, throwing her arms around the woman's knees and burying her face against a jean clad thigh.

"Sakura, Sakura," Kikyo laughed. "_What's wrong?_"

Tilting her face to see Kikyo's, Sakura burst, "_The man was so scary!_"

The older woman patted her head and laughed again, joined by the vendor when Kikyo translated what Sakura had said.

"Ook, ook, the likkle dareling," she bubbled in her strange accent. "What a pretty likkle dareling. Is she you, ah, sistuh, Miss?"

"Oh, no..." Kikyo shook her head and gave the other woman a short smile. "My daughter," she explained.

At the response, the woman's expression fell, and she withdrew a step deeper into her booth.

"Ah, oh, I see..." she murmured, stealing a glance at Kikyo's unadorned ring finger, her face, and then averting her eyes to everything but her customers. "Well, uh, ah... You and um, the likkle dareling, ah, have a good un' now, Miss." Hurriedly, she turned away, and Kikyo grabbed Sakura's hands.

"_Maman?_"

Kikyo said nothing, staring intently ahead, her lips compressed into a tight line.

They rounded the corner and journeyed for several more blocks in silence until at last, Sakura mustered the courage to speak again.

"_Maman?_" she approached timidly. "_Where are we going?_"

At last Kikyo seemed to snap out of her trance and peered down at the little girl, blinking her eyes several times to throw back whatever had been on her mind.

"_There is someone I must see,_" she answered.

"_Who?_"

Briefly Kikyo paused to consider her next words, "_An old... friend." _

...OOO...

Sigh, I wasn't even going to update today, but I promised Pure Power I'd have something by the time he woke up. My day started out so well too- I finished an update for my original fic, spent hours talking to Stu, went to the mall, bought some candy, and then BAM! Life hates me. All I wanted was a clean car, what I got was a scratched up car. I'm so depressed... I wonder if my insurance will cover it... but then they'll inflate me rate sky high... GAH!


	7. Chapter 6: Attachment

**Chapter 6**

_**Attachment**_

...OOO...

"Uh...um..." the little girl in front of him stammered timidly. "Votre pochette..." She gestured frantically behind her as her incoherent words became rushed and tumbled. "Vous l'avez laissé a la-bas... Ma _maman_... Elle... HERE!" The final word forced itself out of her foreign vocabulary and she hurriedly shoved the wallet to his face.

He looked from her to where she had pointed- the vending stand and a woman who although was turned and appeared to be interested in the flowers, watched the girl carefully with her peripheral vision. Then he reverted his attention back to the girl and the wallet.

For a second, he stared at it without comprehension, but inserting a hand to his pocket, he confirmed its absence and frowned slightly.

Frightened, the girl bowed her head and transfixed her eyes to the concrete boulevard, her face beet red.

At last, he realized what had happened and plucked the wallet from her fingers, more annoyed with himself for being so careless than he was in any degree at her for returning it.

"Thank you," he acknowledged shortly, turned, and walked away.

That day he had originally thought to go to his office at Tokijen Ltd.- a small but growing company he had acquired on his own only two years ago. But there was no urgent business that required his attention and couldn't be handled by one of the lower staff, so he decided instead to take the morning off.

At the moment he was heading to one of the city's smaller but less visited parks when another body accosted his.

"Sesshomaru!" the breathy female exclaimed excitedly, and for the second time that hour he frowned apparently.

He had not taken to regard his current path crossed one of the many swaths of expensive boutiques popular with Sara Hirohito and now the woman had inextricably wrapped herself around his arm.

"Sara," he nodded cooly, though no amount of his disinterest seemed to ever sink past the woman's pretty skull.

At 26 years old, Sara was only two years his minor and yet she could have been Rin's age for all he cared of her.

It was not that she fell below any of his standards.

Beautiful, cultured, and the only daughter of the Reikotsu Hirohito, Sara had enough charms to wile away any man- including him once, though only for a single night many, many years ago.

It was, he was forced to admit to himself later on, one of the largest mistakes of his life. A youthful tryst that did little to appease his lust and left him forever in Sara's cross-hairs.

Damn the stupidity of the young and reckless.

"I did not realize I would be so lucky to see you today," she smiled affectedly. "Otherwise I would have thought to dress appropriately." For the moment she was wearing a low cut dress, a yellow paler than the flowers he carried, and spotting them, she faltered.

"O-oh, are those for me? You sweetheart! You shouldn't have!"

Holding them away from her grasping hands, he told her curtly, "I didn't."

Her smiled never wavered as she shrugged nonchalantly, "Oh well. That you should have come all this way just to see me is more than enough. Did father tell you where I was? You know, I am quite miffed about your family leaving me out of the guest list to your little soiree last night."

"Oh?" he asked unconcernedly. "I did not miss you."

A purring laugh erupted from her crimsoned lips and she slapped his shoulder playfully, "Oh, Sesshy- you are heartless."

Damn the woman!

With inhuman self-will, Sesshomaru reeled back his indignation.

Since when did he give her leave to address him as "Sesshy"? The nerve of some people.

Unaware of his annoyance, however, Sara went on, "But I'm sure you did not come all this way to joke with me. Come- have you breakfasted yet? I was just about to take some time for brunch. You will join me, won't you?"

Finally tugging his arm free, Sesshomaru replied dryly, "Hardly. I've other matters to attend to." Leaving her to interpret the gesture as she would, he strolled briskly away and crossed the street.

Sara stared after him, her mouth hanging slack at the rejection.

The pompous egotist. If he were anyone but Sesshomaru InuTaisho she would have crushed him long ago, but as it was, he had something of an advantage over her. Touted already as one of the city's most eligible bachelors, his detached unobtainable nature made him only even more appealing. In short he was every woman's fantasy and was supposed to remain as such- something not to be realized, and oh, how all the other girls laughed at her for trying.

"_Have you heard about Sara?" _they whispered amongst themselves in inclusive circles.

"_Still after Sesshomaru InuTaisho- how pathetic."_

"_Why doesn't she just give up?"_

"_Can't she see he's not the least interested?"_

But he was interested! And she would prove it!

One day she would make him hers if nothing more than to show those busybodies. And that day would come sooner than any of them would know- just as soon as she found that little brat he fathered with her. Then he would have no choice but to marry her.

Sara smiled gleefully to herself.

_Oh, Sesshomaru, darling Sesshomaru. If you only knew how closely we're already attached..._

...ooo...

Akari InuTaisho was buried with the rest of her kin in her family plot- one of the many that ringed the small, pristine green park.

The cemetery was partitioned by low iron fences that separated the different families, and his mother rested not under his father's name, but her maiden one.

Following the neat rows of stone sepulchers and granite headstones, he found hers and planted the yellow lilies in the empty receiver. It had been sometime since he'd last visited, but that morning the compulsion to return had driven him forward.

Engraved in the flecked marble slab was her full name- _Akari Yoshimitsu InuTaisho_- along with the dates of her birth and death- just August of last year.

And then below in scrolling letters was the only sentiment he could not picture her scoffing at:

_You will never be forgotten. _

It was already June, and he was running out of time.

...OOO...

* * *

Another shorty, but I'll update soon once I get a new chapter posted for my original fic. I'm trying to keep them both going at the same time, lol.

Reviews are appreciated. Ciao.


	8. Chapter 7: Running After Rainbows

**Chapter 7**

_**Running After Rainbows**_

...OOO...

Kikyo and Sakura journeyed to a ritzy looking apartment downtown, entered, and took the elevator to the penthouse suite.

Ringing the bell, they only had to wait a few seconds before the door was wrenched open from its frame and a woman about Kikyo's age answered them, her sharp face peering out from the narrow opening.

"What?" she snapped. "What do you want?"

Unfazed, Kikyo replied, "I'm here to see Naraku."

"What?" the woman repeated. "And what business would you have to see him for?" Her eyes dropped distastefully to the little girl beside Kikyo and she remarked, "Listen, lady- if this is another paternal lawsuit, I'll tell you what I told every other bimbo to come round here. Have your lawyer contact ours."

She was about to close the door in their faces when a dark voice behind her barked, "Kagura- who are you speaking with?"

"Another one of your one night stands," she yelled over her shoulder. "Dammit, Naraku! You could try using protection every now and again."

"Now where's the fun in that?" he chided jokingly and appeared behind her.

His eyes widened in surprise at seeing their visitors.

"Well, well," he pronounced pleasantly. "Kikyo, Kikyo. I didn't realized you'd be in town, love."

When he smiled, only one corner of his lips turned and it resembled a smirk more than anything.

"Come in, come in."

Shoving aside the woman, he held the door wider and ushered them into the spacious living area with its clean contemporary furniture and wide glass walls that overlooked the city below.

The woman- Kagura- disappeared in a huff.

"Don't mind my sister," he apologized with the same smirk. "She's just a little peeved about being left out of your family's party last night."

"She was not the only one," Kikyo replied, twisting her lips a little with displeasure.

"Yes," the man replied. "So I thought. They do not know you're here, do they?"

"No."

Although Sakura could understand their words, she did not comprehend the conversation.

Glancing down at the girl, Naraku gave her a short smile, and she cowered behind the older woman's knees.

"Hm," he noted without slight. "A shy one." To Kikyo he remarked in German, "Sie ist gewachsen." _She's grown. _

"_It's only natural,_" Kikyo responded in the same tongue. "_It has been nearly four years._"

"_Yes..._" he answered slowly. "_So it has... But I do not imagine you came all this way simply to reminisce?_"

"_No,_" she confirmed. "_I've some business to discuss with you._"

"Ah, so I supposed," Naraku smiled, reverting to his native language. "Come into my office then."

Nodding, Kikyo turned to the young girl.

"_Sakura,_" she spoke in French. "_Wait here a moment, understand? I will only be in the next room to discuss a matter with Monsieur._"

"Oui, _maman_," she agreed, and the man called out behind him.

"Kanna!"

At his beckoning, another girl appeared- about fifteen or so and pale as the moon. She was dressed in a white flapper dress and pearls, black stockings and pointy shoes. She didn't speak.

"Watch little Sakura for a moment," Naraku ordered.

The girl gave a small nod, and Naraku and Kikyo disappeared down the hall and through another door.

Closing it quietly behind him, Naraku motioned for her to sit on one of the club chairs across his massive desk, but she chose to remain standing.

"So what can I do for you?" he asked, taking out a thick brown cigar from one of the drawers.

"I need to disappear," she resolved. "For good."

Naraku puffed a ring of smoke into the air. He was not surprised- he'd suspected it for sometime now.

"I thought you'd say so."

"I cannot do it anymore," she answered. "Running all across the globe... Sakura deserves a stable home free of the past. I intend to give it to her."

"Yes..." he nodded understandingly. "But it will cost money. The necessary documents will not be easy to acquire."

"So I've calculated. With the rest of my assets as down payment, how much more will you require?"

In his head, he ran the figures and decided, "A quarter of a million should cover the rest. But how do you intend to obtain the money? You know I can't loan it to you- my... _associates_ are watching me like a hawk, waiting for one false move. The damn bastards."

Kikyo smirked at her acquaintance's predicament.

"Trouble with the family?"

"Let's just say they do not take well to my rise in power, but they shall change their minds soon enough. However, in the meantime, I am afraid there is little I can do for you in monetary terms."

"I did not expect it of you," she answered. "However... you would not happen to know of anyone interested in the purchase of a rare, pink diamond?"

"What?" Until that moment, Naraku had been sitting easily on the surface of his desk, but upon hearing her proposition, he rose to his feet to stare disbelievingly at her. "You don't mean..."

"Why is it you believe I have bothered to return to this city in the first place?" she countered.

"Hm..." Naraku sat back down and meditated for a moment. "I believe I might know of someone- and someone who will, shall we say, be more than pleased to deal under the table."

"Whatever you deem necessary."

"And when can I expect the diamond?"

"In two days," she answered. "I had hoped to take care of this matter today, but with the recent development that has occurred at the manor..."

"You mean your cousin's engagement?"

"Yes. I felt it better to delay the deed for a few days."

"Understandable," he agreed. "Now, for the sticky matter of my fee..."

"Two hundred and fifty thousand," she offered. "The diamond should fetch at least a million, and half is plenty to begin a new life with."

"You know," Naraku suggested, "It would be easier to simply arrange the _disappearance_ of Reikotsu- a man with so many powerful enemies would not be greatly missed. And then you would be free to return home, if you wished, and take your rightful place as head of your house. I could even get the proper documents for the girl- say her father died in some exotic locale? I doubt any questions would be asked."

But Kikyo shook her head.

"You tempt me with the last offer, but I have no such desire to return to that place. I am content with what I have."

"Very well," he replied and rose again to accompany her to the door.

Holding out his hand for her to shake, Naraku smiled, "As always, a pleasure doing business with you, love. And should you ever change your mind, my offer still stands."

"And which offer would you be referring to, Monsieur?"

He smirked, "Both."

Kikyo just shook her head again, "I do not believe I shall."

"Ah well." Shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly, Naraku walked her to the living room where Sakura waited. "You cannot blame a man for trying."

He held the door as they left, and Kagura joined him, this time peeking over his shoulder at the retreating figures.

"And just who the hell was that?" she asked.

"That, my dear," he replied, "was an old acquaintance of mine from high school, Miss Mamoto- otherwise known as Kikyo Higurashi."

"What?" An 'o' of surprise formed on Kagura's crimsoned lips. "You mean, the girl who disappeared about eight years ago? That Kagome bitch's older cousin?"

"The very same."

"And what exactly was she doing _here_?"

"Oh, nothing much. Just come to ask for a small favor."

At that, Kagura burst out laughing, "From _you_?" Naraku was not exactly known as the most generous of persons.

"Why, my dear," he responded with an air of hurt, "you do underestimate my kindness. I am more than capable of extending a helping hand to another... for a price, of course."

His younger sister snorted, "Well, I hope she made it worth your while."

"Always," he replied, walking away and leaving her to take it as she would. Though knowing Kagura, he knew she would get the wrong idea.

"Wait, wait!" she shouted after him, arriving at her expected conclusion. "That kid wasn't yours, was it? Dammit, Naraku!" she yelled at his back. "You bastard! Tell me!"

From the couch, Kanna sat impassively and watched her sister run after her brother with threats. Were she more like Kagura, she would have rolled her eyes, but instead she merely noted once more how infantile her older siblings were... On the surface, anyway.

...OOO...

* * *

Naraku's not really a bad guy in this fic. Just an extremely shady character, lol.

By the way, the only language I speak fluently is English, so whatever foreign phrases are scattered throughout have been written with the help of an online translator- so there's anyone out there who reads/writes fluent French or German and notices some glaring errors, well... Lol.

**Alex: **take my hints as you would like. It'll get straightened out later on.

Next chapter.


	9. Chapter 8: Windflowers

**Chapter Eight**

_**Windflowers**_

...OOO...

When they left Naraku's, Kikyo and Sakura- arms laden with the flowers they'd bought earlier- made their way to an ancient cemetery ringed around a small verdant park.

On their way in, Kikyo brushed shoulders with a man just exiting, and to Sakura's surprise, it was the same man as earlier in the flower shop. Her golden eyes met his and she blushed deeply when she caught a sign of recognition in his expression.

Noticing nothing, however, Kikyo gave him a short bow and murmured a polite apology before continuing on her way.

Hurriedly, Sakura ran to catch up with her, glancing over her shoulder one more time.

But the man had also turned his back and was already turning the corner into the sidewalk.

Briefly she wondered who he was and what he could be doing in this place, who he had come to visit.

As she followed Kikyo down the narrow concrete pavement snaking past the neat rows of headstones, she glimpsed a clutch of yellow lilies- so apparent in all the grey. They were the same as the ones the man had purchased.

When she passed the grave, she tried to read the name written on the tomb, but several yards ahead of her, Kikyo had turned into another lot, and not wanting to lose her own _maman_, Sakura forgot about the man and sprinted after her.

Kikyo had passed through a pair of stone gateways and had stopped in front of a pair of black marble monuments, the flowers dripping from her arms. She was standing still, gazing longingly at the graves.

Sakura approached quietly.

An aged bronze plaque lay in between the tombs, bearing the dedication:

_Daisuke Mamoto & Mitchiko Higurashi-Mamoto_

_Devoted husband and wife whom Death had not power to part. _

Sakura reread the names several times, running them around her mind. She recognized only the last name- it was the same as Kikyo sometimes used, though not always.

Beside her, the older woman wilted to her knees to lay the flowers across the graves.

"_Maman?_"

"_These are my parents,_" Kikyo explained to her younger companion. "_They…died when I was very young._"

"Oh…"

For several minutes, Sakura fell silent as Kikyo bowed her head to say a small prayer.

After she was done, however, she remained on the ground.

Sakura had never really thought of Kikyo as having parents before, or any sort of relation for that matter. At seven (nearly eight) years old, she was already quite aware of the concept of growing up and that everyone who was now an adult had once been a child with her own mama, but she could never picture the same with Kikyo. Rather she had always taken her to be like immortal Venus who sprang fully grown from the ocean. To her Kikyo had always stood apart from everyone else- a lone white dove who needed nothing and no one except the wind to ride upon. It felt funny to know she too had been a girl like Sakura and that her parents had died, but at the same time, it made her feel even closer to the woman- like a secret pain they shared.

"_Do you miss them very much, maman?_" she asked.

A rueful smile graced the woman's lips.

"_A little,_" she admitted. "_But I'm alright. I have you now._"

The announcement greatly pleased the girl, that she had somehow made her _maman_ happy. Perhaps Kikyo needed her too.

Wrapping her small arms around Kikyo's neck from behind, she brought her lips forward and gave the woman a kiss on the cheek.

"Je t'aime beaucoup, _maman_," she murmured softly.

Tenderly, Kikyo caressed the girl's face.

"_I love you too, Sakura._"

…ooo…

The next two days, Kikyo tried not to think of the task still yet to be accomplished and demanding her attention. She had already resolved not to go to the manor until absolutely the last minute, and there was little to be done until that moment. Worrying about it would do nothing to help, but she cursed her luck anyway that her need to return should coincide with _his_ engagement to _her_.

Surely the Fates were mocking her.

To help pass the time and keep her mind off the subject, she took Sakura around the city to show her all of the places she had loved to visit when she herself had been a young girl- museums and galleries and the many parks and recreational centers. Kikyo had a very limited budget, but she knew how to make the most of it. The city offered endless distractions for little or no money, and they whiled the next two days away visiting one attraction after the next, stopping for lunch and dinner at small, hole-in-the-wall cafes and bistros.

As always, however, they stuck to crowded, well known areas, and every night when they returned to the hotel, Kikyo followed different invisible routes that sometimes required them to take several trains for hours at a time, crisscrossing the city's rails until she felt safe enough to return.

Then once in their hotel room, she would deadbolt the door, go over all the windows to make sure they were properly locked, check every corner of the room for anything displaced.

Sakura never questioned her _maman's _odd habits because she could feel it too- the strange unease that tickled the back of her neck. Something was shadowing them.

Kikyo had sensed the unwanted presence a little over half a year ago when they had returned to Europe after a year long foray into South America. It was in the confined streets of ancient Venice when she first became aware of someone following them.

Sakura could still remember the feel of Kikyo's hands tightening over her own, the way her pace suddenly quickened to a controlled speed. Only after they'd boarded a nearby gondola and floated down several canals did her grip finally loosen.

At the time, she had thought little of the incident or of the fact that the very next day they left Italy for neighboring France. Kikyo often traveled with little or no warning, but it only took Sakura another month to finally realize the magnitude of the situation.

They were residing in a small village along the Mediterranean coast then, and she had gone down to the general store for a bottle of milk. It was there that she first sensed the strange disquiet welling up within her stomach and glancing discretely over her shoulder, she'd noticed a man in the corner staring directly back at her. He was a tall man, very lean, and wore a bandana over his shaved head and a strange smirk on his lips.

From all her years traveling the globe, Sakura had learned quickly how to differentiate between the tourists and locals, but this man didn't fit into either category. He was not shiftless or casually idle like the tourists, but neither did he move with the same purpose as the locals going about their daily business. Whatever his intentions were, it was not to browse the shop's oddities and souvenirs nor was it to purchase a loaf of bread for lunch.

The strange sensation that he was waiting specifically for her gripped the back of Sakura's mind. She did not know this man, nor did she trust him.

Fighting back the urge to flee, she had remained in the store and pretended to browse the selection of sweets behind the glass display. The woman behind the counter had come to know her and Kikyo during their short stay, and Sakura felt safer under her recognizing gaze, but the man in the corner continued to eye her as well.

As the minutes passed, Sakura had started to fear she would never be able to leave the store and return to her _maman_, but at last one of their neighbors had entered the store to buy the ingredients for that night's supper, and Sakura had tagged along home with him.

That was the day she ha found their suitcases packed and Kikyo with a pair of passports at the ready.

The very next morning they had caught a train to Lisbon, and from there, a ferry to London. For two more weeks, they stayed in Europe, but Kikyo remained uneasy and at last they crossed the Atlantic for the safety of a small Canadian town just outside Niagara Falls.

It was autumn then, and the scenery in that part of the world was beautiful- the trees lit on fire by their changing foliage. They rented a small apartment in town, and Sakura had loved every corner of it. She had loved the homey atmosphere of the place, loved the crunching of brown leaves under her boots, and the perpetual scent of apple pies in the air. The last bits of an Indian summer lingered in the weather, and almost everyday she had gone to the park and played with the other children while Kikyo sat just apart from their mothers and watched.

It was peaceful and friendly, and for a while she entertained the idea that perhaps they might stay there- after all, even in her vigilance, Sakura had not sensed the man again. But when winter arrived, they moved on south to the Florida Keys, and from there crossed the Gulf into Panama. Then a short stop in Los Angeles and Honolulu and they were in Hong Kong, but they didn't stay long.

Kikyo mistrusted large cities- there were too many people and the disappearance of one was too easily missed. Especially one so displaced and without a real identity.

From Hong Kong they had hopped down to Calcutta and then to the small island of Bali where they rested for little over a month before making their way up north again, snaking past the conglomeration of Indonesian islands by boat, over Malaysia and the Philippines, across the South China Sea to Shanghai, and finally here.

It was noon of their last day and Sakura felt a bit disappointed. She had been so sure this time that they had finally reached their destination, but no. As always, their stay was not meant to last- even if they had, for the moment, eluded their pursuer.

Right that moment, Kikyo was checking out of the hotel, and outside, a taxi sat in wait to take them to the airport.

Except that they did not drive to the airport.

Instead they were ferried the opposite direction past the skyscrapers and buzzing avenues of downtown and into a neighborhood of large, expensive mansions.

The cab pulled to a stop beside the curb, and Kikyo paid the driver and instructed him to wait for them. Leaving their luggage in the car, she disembarked and Sakura spilled out after her to stare once again at the same manor she had gaped at their very first day.

This time, Kikyo did not smile when she regarded it, but rather her face was set in tight determination.

"_Stay close, Sakura,_" she ordered but did not take the girl's hand.

The wide gate was open and they entered, strolling past immaculate flower gardens and an expanse of green lawn to the heavy front doors of the main building.

Kikyo rang the buzzer, and seconds later one of the doors pulled open.

"Yes?" the maid asked, but when she glimpsed her visitors, her eyes widened and she took a step back, disbelieving, and faltered, "L-lady Kikyo...?"

At last catching hold of Sakura's hand, Kikyo met the woman's gaze unwaveringly.

"I wish to speak with my grandmother," she declared with authority. "Please announce my presence to the Lady Kaede."

"Y-yes," the maid replied, hurriedly throwing the doors wider and ushering them inside. "Right away, of course. Please," she said with a clumsy bow, "wait here a moment. I will run for the lady."

She disappeared but quickly returned with an old woman, bent and wrinkled with age, her ash grey hair composed into a low bun at the nape of her neck, and a patch over one eye. In her one exposed eye, however, Sakura made out the same disbelief that had emanated from the maid and just a flicker of misgiving as she stared at her _maman. _

"Kikyo," she gasped, shuffling over while Sakura hid behind the woman's knees. "Is... is that really you, child?"

"Yes, Grandmother," Kikyo replied. "It is."

The old woman stopped short of her visitor, her gaze still locked onto Kikyo's face. Impulsively, she brought her hands out to grasp her granddaughter, but stopped short as if suddenly afraid to touch her.

The misgiving in her expression grew, and she questioned warily, "Kikyo... what... what are you doing here?"

Kikyo broke free of her stare and looked away.

"Do not worry," she informed her in a tone that was an octave colder and harder than she normally used. "I have read of the engagement and regret my timing, but I have not returned to cause trouble for you or for anyone, neither do I intend to stay long enough to do so. I have come," she said, "only for the diamond."

...OOO...

* * *

Ok, so I lied. The next chapter should be relatively short, and then after that- Sesshomaru and Kikyo are finally made acquainted. Ha ha, sorry.

**Alex: **don't worry about it. Reading back, I suppose my reply seemed a little clipped, but that wasn't intentional. (It was just an afterthought and I was rushing, lol.) I just meant I didn't want to give anything away, so whatever clues and questions you might form- just keep them in the back of your mind. Everything will be revealed. OoOoOoOo...


	10. Chapter 9: Of Crowns and Queens

**Chapter Nine**

_**Of Crowns and Queens**_

...OOO...

Kagome brought the white lace dress to her body and laughingly twirled on her toes, allowing the full skirt to blossom out.

"Isn't it beautiful, Mom?" she asked as she examined her reflection one more time in the full standing mirror.

Behind her, Mai, Izayoi, and Sango sat in matching chairs in the parlor of the East Mansion, observing her fashion show, and close by the dressmaker Hisami beamed proudly at her concoction.

"It's wonderful, dear," Mai agreed with a sip of her tea. "But why don't you slip it on so we can see how it fits?"

Obediently, Kagome disappeared behind a curtained room.

They could hear the rustle of expensive fabric as she slipped the dress over herself, then heard an exasperated grunt.

"The zipper won't work!" she exclaimed, her head popping out from behind the curtains.

"What?" Hisami queried. "But I fitted you only a week ago… I don't understand."

She went in after Kagome and strained to get the zipper up, but it was no use. They reappeared and Kagome frowned at her image in the glass.

"I can't believe this!" she cried. "The whole point of having a professional tailor was so the dress would fit _like a dream_. You made it too small."

"That's impossible," Hisami defended, trying in vain once again to prod the stubborn piece of metal. "I made it exactly to your specifications… but… there is no need to worry," she said, measuring Kagome's waist with her hands. "All I need to do is let it out a bit, and it should fit."

"This is horrible," the girl sobbed as she fought free of the wedding dress and change back into her short ruffled skirt and blouse. "I have _not_ gained weight!"

"Of course not," Mai assured. "I'm sure it was nothing more than a simple miscalculation, and Hisami will have it fixed right away, won't you, dear?" she asked, fixing the luckless dressmaker with a hard stare.

"Yes, yes, right away, madams," the woman assured, gathering the dress into her arms and leaving.

Kagome kept crying.

"Come on, Kagome," her cousin and best friend Sango spoke up, trying to comfort her. "It's not too bad- really!"

"But San-go!" she wailed. "It's my WEDDING! I'm supposed to lose weight for it, not gain!"

"Now, Kagome," Mai soothed with a pat on the girl's knee. "Don't you think you're being a little dramatic? Hisami will fix the dress in no time. You'll see."

"But I don't want her to fix it, Mom. It should have fit this time around." A sudden thought hit the bride-to-be and she sat bolt upright, gasping in terror. "What if... what if I still can't fit the dress after Hisami alters it? Oh, god! I'm going to be fat before I'm even married!"

Taking up her teacup, Izayoi hid a smile and tried not to chuckle.

Kagome was a sweet girl but she had a tendency to overact every now and again.

Izayoi waited the several minutes it took Sango and Mai to calm the girl down, before she cleared her throat to move the discussion along.

"…So… Kagome, dear," she began, hoping to distract the girl from her dress fitting issues. "How did you think to wear your hair?"

"Yes, Kagome," Sango encouraged. "Did you have any ideas yet?"

Falling for the bait, Kagome sniffled a little but managed to reply.

"Um, well," she started slowly, pulling at her hair to demonstrate. "I was thinking to wear it up- like a bouffant. Maybe with flowers or… or a tiara. Which reminds me… I was thinking… do you think Auntie Midoriko would mind so much if I borrowed the diamond? Because, wouldn't it look just wonderful set into a silver tiara? All my friends would just die of envy- no one else has anything even close to the Shikon."

"Well…"

Mai and Izayoi exchanged glances.

The _Shikon no Tama_ was the crowning symbol of the Higurashi House. It was a flawless, pale pink diamond measuring about the size of a golf ball and intricately cut with so many facets it was almost perfectly spherical- it was perhaps the single most valuable stone in the world. A jewel befitting the highest of royalty.

Originally belonging to the Mamoto's- a world renowned family of jewelers who, until a few decades ago had fallen into some ill luck with several of their diamond mines- it was presented to Mitchiko not only to celebrate her engagement to their son Daisuke, but also in part as a gift of gratitude for the financial contribution she had made that pulled their family business from its rut.

During her own wedding, Mitchiko had worn the diamond in a tiara, and now Kagome was looking to continue the tradition. After all, just as her late aunt had been, she too would soon rise to the rank of family matriarch, and she thought it only fitting to be wedded as one.

Mai was all for the idea, but her cousin was not as certain.

"You know how protective Midoriko is of that diamond," Izayoi pointed out. "She won't even allow it to be openly displayed…"

"True," Mai conceded, "but I'm sure she won't refuse this small request. After all, it is for Kagome's wedding, and one day soon, the jewel will be hers anyway. I'm sure Midoriko won't mind this time."

"Well, I hope you're right," Izayoi agreed.

And Sango commented, "It _would_ look love-"

The sudden entrance of a maid from the main house cut her off.

"Forgive the interruption," she bowed humbly. "But Lady Kaede wishes for an audience with Miss Mai and Mrs. Izayoi."

Frowning visibly, Mai asked, "And what is it Mother wants exactly? We're a bit busy at the moment…"

"I'm sorry," the woman apologized, "but she requires your presence immediately to discuss Lady Kikyo's return."

"WHAT?" Mai rose to her feet followed by the other women. "K-Kikyo? What do you mean?"

"She arrived only five minutes ago," the maid answered. "That is all I am aware of."

"But… but this is impossible!" Mai exclaimed.

Beside her, Kagome was speechless as she absorbed the information.

_Kikyo... was back? _

An image of her older cousin flashed before her eyes, recalling the bygone days of their childhood together at the manor, and suddenly, she let out a soft gasp as another name forced its way to the forefront of her mind.

_Inuyasha!_

Without a word, she scrambled past the maid and raced across the grounds for the main house.

"Kagome?" Sango called after her. "Kagome, where are you going?"

But Kagome found no time to answer. She had to get to Kikyo before Inuyasha found out!

...OOO...

* * *

Eh... I had more written, but I'm too tired and too out of it to go and edit the other four pages. Ha ha. Um, so everyone update! And maybe if I manage to drag myself out of bed later I can get the second part up where Inuyasha and Sesshomaru learn of Kikyo's return. (Yeah, sounds enticing, huh?)

As for now... zZzZzZzZz...


	11. Chapter 10: And the Name of Trouble is

**Chapter Ten**

_**And the Name of Trouble is... **_

...OOO...

While his wife took in tea and lunch at the East Mansion with her relations, in the West Mansion, InuTaisho sat down to lunch at his own table with his uncle Totosai, his sons, and his daughter.

For the first course, the servers ladled miso soup into prepared bowls, and he inhaled deeply to take in the aroma.

"Ah," he declared contently. "There's nothing like a meal shared with the family. It's nice of you, Sesshomaru," he noted to his eldest, "to take some time from your busy schedule and honor an old man's wish to come to lunch."

"It was hardly a lively day at the office," his son dismissed coolly. "Sundays do not tend to be."

"You know," his father commented in between sips of soup. "I don't know why you bothered to take on Tokijen Limited- I would have thought you'd have your hands full just running the Tenseiga branch."

"Hardly," Sesshomaru replied and left it at that. For the moment, he didn't feel like once again arguing with his father's decision to put him in charge of the medical technology labs of InuTaisho Industries while allowing his younger, more inexperienced, and overall witless half brother to run Tetsusaiga- the branch of their father's empire that developed high tech weapons and other gadgets for militaries all over the world.

Not only did Sesshomaru hold absolutely no interest in medicine, but he thought his talents better suited to deal with Tetsusaiga's ever expanding business and clientele, whereas Tenseiga was predominantly a dormant research facility that every now and then developed a pill or a potion that was then licensed off to other pharmaceutical companies to produce for the public.

He couldn't even see why his father had bothered at all to let him run the company. Sesshomaru was no scientist, nor did he care to be, and as far as he was concerned, his duties within Tenseiga involved nothing more than a nod every now and again to approve whatever ideas its top minds thought best to pursue. Even without his constant attention, the company continued on as it always had.

At least Tokijen left room for growth- something Sesshomaru could focus his efforts on. And to say the least, he was quietly proud at the direction the company had taken since his administration only two years ago. It showed he needed neither his father's nor his family's favors in order to succeed.

Unlike a certain brother who would go nameless.

Silently, Sesshomaru sipped the soup carefully with the grace and etiquette that had obviously bypassed his younger siblings.

Inuyasha was hurriedly bailing his down his throat while Rin didn't even bother with the spoon and simply brought the entire bowl to her mouth.

She smacked her lips after finishing the last drop.

"Hey, Daddy," she spoke, counting out the people in the room and just then noticing the absence of her mother. "Where is Mommy, anyway?"

"Oh, she's with your Aunt Mai in the western house," he answered. "I believe at this very moment they are planning for your brother's funer- I mean, wedding."

"Jeeze, Dad," Inuyasha spoke sarcastically. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

Their father let out a roaring laugh and slapped his younger son playfully on the back, "Just kidding son. I'm sure you and Kagome will be fine- just make sure to keep her happy where it matters," he winked. "Because you know, I'm expecting lots of grandbabies and we certainly can't rely on your brother for that. Nor will I let any boy come close enough to Rin to even try."

Hearing her name, the girl looked up and studied her father.

"Daddy," she said quite solemnly, bypassing the larger meaning of his joke to grasp at one concept. "Where _do_ babies come from?"

Every face in the room turned expectantly to Inutaisho.

"Yeah, Dad," Inuyasha smirked. "Just where _do _babies come from?"

"Ah, well…" Inutaisho stalled, cursing himself for walking into such a trap.

His daughter stared at him eagerly.

"You see," he began as slowly as possible. "There's this bird… and some cabbages…"

A knock at the door stopped him short and he sighed in relief for the distraction.

"Come in!" he called.

A moment later, Miroku entered and gave a polite bow.

"I'm sorry to have disrupted your lunch, Lord InuTaisho," he began formally. Despite the fact that he and Inuyasha were best friends, he still felt it necessary to address his father as 'Lord'. "But my grandmother has requested your council at the North Mansion. The matter is… quite urgent."

"Well, what is it then?" Inutaisho inquired, rising. Usually, he dealt with Midoriko who had taken over as head of her family, but at the moment the woman was away for business, and that her mother should deem it necessary to meet with him so unceremoniously was troubling.

Nothing had seemed off that morning, and he could not begin to wonder what it was that needed his immediate attention.

Glancing uncertainly at his friend, however, Miroku faltered, "I think it would be best if you saw for yourself, my lord. The matter is… a delicate one."

"Come now, boy!" his elder scoffed. "There is no need for secrecy amongst us. After all, it's high time these children of mine learn some of the issues that face the head of this family. Out with it."

"Well…" Concurring with his wishes, Miroku announced, "It concerns Lady Kikyo. She's… she's returned, my lord."

Previously removed from the exchange, Sesshomaru took notice only when everyone else in the room fell into stunned silence. From Inutaisho, everyone had diverted their attention to Miroku standing awkwardly at the door as the bearer of bad news.

Then after the eternity of seconds that followed, the silence was broken by Inuyasha's spoon slipping from his limp fingers to collide with the bowl.

'_CLANG!'_

No one heard the noise, just the singular word that stumbled out from the young man's mouth.

"K-Kikyo?"

"Yes," his friend confirmed somberly. "She arrived a mere five minutes ago, and Grandmother is uncertain of what to do."

Without listening to the rest of Miroku's explanation, Inuyasha's chair clattered to the floor as he bolted from his seat. Pushing past his friend, he dashed off in the direction of the main house.

Mitoku ran after him, calling urgently, "Wait! Wait! Inuyasha! STOP!"

It was no use.

Through the large window that overlooked the grounds, Inutaisho watched them wordlessly.

Even Rin had fallen quiet, though she did not fully comprehend the situation.

Letting out a weary sigh, Inutaisho pushed himself from the table.

"I had better get to the bottom of this," he muttered and left.

Sesshomaru stared after him. He had never seen his father so troubled before- and with seemingly such an insignificant detail as the arrival of some woman to a house that was not even their own.

Just who was this _'Kikyo'_?

At the other end of the table, Totosai sighed heavily. Rising to his feet, he went to stand beside the window that faced the main house and stroked his white beard thoughtfully.

"Oh, dear," he commented in his dried voice. "This is going to be trouble…"

"Why?" Rin questioned, standing on her chair and leaning over the table towards him. "What's going on, Uncle?"

"The Lady Kikyo has returned…"

"But who is the Lady Kikyo?" she prodded.

Turning around, Totosai went back to the table.

"I'm not surprised you do not remember her," he told the girl. "You were only a baby when she left. Lady Kikyo is your cousin, Rin," he explained. "And the firstborn of the House of Higurashi."

"Huh?" Rin crinkled her forehead to depict her confusion. If Kikyo was part of the family, then why was everyone so unhappy that she had returned? Shouldn't they be glad?

Listening in his seat, Sesshomaru was also having difficulty understanding the situation.

"I hardly see the trouble," he stated, speaking for the first time. "And if she is of their house, why should it concern us?"

Wasn't this a problem the Higurashi's needed to work out amongst themselves?

"Hm…" Totosai shifted his gaze to his great-nephew. "I'm surprised you would have to ask, Sesshomaru. Surely you remember Kikyo from your visits before university? Think back to when you were still a boy, and try to remember."

For a moment, Sesshomaru reflected on his past.

Before he had started attending the nearby university in the city, Sesshomaru had only visited his father for a few days in the summer- and those only at his mother's insistence. As a child he had felt little affection for the man whom he regarded as having abandoned him for another family, and every time he had relented and visited, he had kept himself confined to the East Mansion.

Not once did he ever join Inuyasha or any of the other children of the manor in any of their outings or activities, and he never bothered to learn their names.

As he probed deeper and deeper, however, new memories- long forgotten as insignificant- began to resurface and he recalled a particular afternoon when he'd happened to glance out of his bedroom window upstairs. His room had faced the back where an open koi pond bubbled lazily, shaded on the other side by a thicket of trees.

A girl in a white blouse and a long red skirt had sat beneath one, her legs drawn up and a book in her lap.

From far away, he had been unable to make out any of her features past the fair skin and long black hair. She could have been anyone- either Kagome or the other girl Sango- and he only realized she wasn't because those other two often came by and crashed the living room with Inuyasha and Miroku. He had been quite certain she was someone else, and before he knew it, he had stared too long and garnered her attention.

Sesshomaru remembered she had glanced up at him and held up her hand. She might have been waving, or perhaps merely blocking the sun from her eyes, but in any case, her figure was soon eclipsed by that of his brother.

Inuyasha had appeared, speaking with her shortly before flopping down at her feet to stretch himself on the grass. The girl had laughed softly, and Inuyasha grinned. Then she resumed reading her book while he stared up at her adoringly.

The memory triggered others and Sesshomaru began to relive the mealtime conversations he had chosen to ignore in their present tense- the ones in which his stepmother gushed about how it was _"absolutely darling the way Inuyasha worshipped_…

"_Kikyo."_

The name rang clearly in Sesshomaru's mind, and he recalled the summer just before his transfer to the university. He was about 20 then, so it must have been eight years ago. He had visited his father and as usual took to his habit of staying in the East Mansion only to find he was no longer alone in his practice.

Inuyasha had stopped gallivanting with his friends and confined himself inside, always in an irritable mood. He had sulked more than usual, and every time anyone had approached him about his behavior, he would just throw back a sassy remark and stalk off to his room.

Sesshomaru remembered it well because it was the summer he had found his brother's presence even more bothersome than usual, and also it was the summer he had first come to know his baby sister Rin.

Suddenly, realization dawned on him, and he looked to his uncle.

"You don't mean to tell me," he began slowly, "that this Kikyo…"

Totosai nodded sagely, knowing his nephew had arrived at the correct conclusion.

"…Is the very same girl your brother was in love with," he finished.

...OOO...

* * *

Well, it's half past three in the morning, and I have awoken. So here it is. 


	12. Chapter 11: Greater Good and Lesser Evil

**Chapter Eleven**

_**Of the Greater Good and Lesser Evils**_

...OOO...

"I've just spoken to Midoriko," Kaede announced to her granddaughter as she rejoined Kikyo in the foyer.

Even with the stop to inform a maid and her grand-nephew to alert the others of Kikyo's arrival, she had been gone no more than five minutes and spoken to her daughter for no more than three.

The conversation had been brief but Midoriko had made her instructions clear: retain Kikyo at the manor until her return.

"And?" Kikyo questioned.

"She will return within a week, but until then, there is little I can do for you concerning the diamond."

"It is unacceptable," her granddaughter declared. "I must have the diamond before I am to leave."

Her grandmother studied her shortly. The response was exactly what Midoriko had hoped for.

"I have called for Mai, Izayoi, and Lord InuTaisho," Kaede informed her. "Perhaps there is another solution to be had."

No matter that Midoriko was the effective head of their family- _she_ was still the mother and by that authority did she continue to hold the interest of what was best for her family outside of financial matters. And right now, a strange apprehension was rising within her and all maternal instinct cried at her to give Kikyo her demands and have her gone before the others found out- namely, Kagome and Inuyasha.

It was not that Lady Kaede held any ill will for her eldest grandchild.

To the contrary, the last eight years she had been gone, the old grandmother had spent moment after moment meditating on her wellness, on her health, on whether she was even still alive. Now she was back, and while Kaede's concerns over Kikyo had eased, others had cropped up over her other grandchildren.

Over the years, she, like Midoriko, had resigned herself to counting Kikyo's loss and focusing her strength and energy into maintaining the well-being of those grandchildren still under her care.

The two concerns contradicted one another.

Kikyo was well; she was alive, and Kaede counted it as a blessing, but at the same time her presence could only mean trouble for the rest of the house.

In the end, Kaede chose to protect those whom she still had.

Peace could only continue without Kikyo- it was the greater good at the sacrifice of the lesser evil.

She could not give her granddaughter the diamond- only Midoriko had direct access to the Shikon- but she thought that perhaps a compromise might be reached with the help of the others.

"I did not come to haggle, Grandmother," Kikyo replied. "I only want what is mine and I shall be on my way- as, no doubt, you also wish for me."

She was as perceptive as she had always been, Kaede noted with some satisfaction. It was the one trait of her granddaughter her mind always came to rest upon those many years ago when Kikyo first left: that her perception would keep her safe and well. Kikyo had the uncanny ability to see into a situation and read the truth so unclear to others. Words and flatteries never swayed her. She had no such delusions about the good and evil of the world. Even as a child, Kikyo had never been so innocent.

And speaking of children, Kaede counted the absence of the small girl who had accompanied her granddaughter- the one whom Kikyo had not bothered to introduce and the one whom Kaede had not bothered to ask after.

Not that she was not curious… and fearful of the answer.

For several seconds, they faced one another- Kikyo offering no free explanations, and Kaede not daring to ask.

She told herself some things were better left unknown, and once Kikyo was gone, she would take the child with her and all interest in her existence would be moot. There was no use in tormenting one's self with knowledge that was out of one's hands.

Inwardly, Kaede hastened the others to her.

While she was glad to see Kikyo faring well, she was even more anxious to have her gone again.

It was for the best of everyone.

...OOO...

Short, yes. Next chapter coming up sooooooon though, so review while you've got the chance, dangit! Don't make me BITE YOU! (It's morning and I'm full of caffeine. Gr.)


	13. Chapter 12: Something More

**Chapter Twelve**

_**Something More**_

...OOO...

Kikyo was annoyed with herself.

She had not foreseen the hindrance, never calculating into the list of factors her aunt's absence or that Midoriko's approval was needed to secure the Shikon no Tama from the bank's vaults.

One week, her grandmother had told her, but she had no such commodity.

Kikyo had neither the time nor the energy to deal with delays.

Already she had sent Sakura to the cab to ask the man for another ten minute's wait. Their flight was due in three hours. She was impatient to leave- but not without the diamond.

Just yesterday Naraku had notified her of a prospective buyer for the Shikon no Tama, willing to pay 3.5 million. The gem had an estimated worth of five, but Kikyo did not wish to sell it so openly and garner the interest of certain parties. She would have settled for the expected one million untaxed.

Of course, the diamond held more than monetary value for her. It was the symbol of her late parents' love for one another; their legacy, her heritage.

But there were some things more important than sentiments.

In her book, the future always trumped the past- the past that was quickly catching up.

"I have called for Mai, Izayoi, and Lord InuTaisho," Kaede informed her. "Perhaps there is another solution to be had."

Kikyo was not stupid. Nor did she have any delusions of her unwanted presence, especially during such an inopportune time as the engagement of Inuyasha and Kagome.

Her grandmother wanted her gone as would the others when they arrived. They would rid themselves of her any way necessary, even if it meant buying her off.

And Kikyo would accept because there were some things more important than pride.

She thought of Sakura and told herself to forget the diamond- it was the money that mattered.

Kikyo had hoped for it to be a quick transaction. A mere five minute stop to retrieve the diamond, then a pass at Naraku's to drop it off. As agreed before hand, he was to sell it discretely to a buyer whom he assured would keep the acquisition of the jewel private and avoid unwanted attraction to the deal. (The buyer for the purpose of tax evasion and her for her own reasons.)

Then after taking out his share of the proceeds along with the rest of the fee necessary to obtain certain documents for her and Sakura, he would wire the rest of the money to a pre-assigned Swiss account where Kikyo could access it.

The lack of a paper trail was of the essence.

By now Kikyo had become aware of her pursuer's identity- or at least, of the man behind him.

Reikotsu Hirohito was a local business man and politician with notorious ties to the underworld mob families. Although he was never convicted or tied to any crimes directly, he was a known target for several local, federal, and international authorities- the most important and persistent of which was a High Court judge by the name of Hiroki Yoshimitsu.

The Honorable Judge had a political vendetta against Reikotsu and his kind and had made it his top responsibility to deliver justice by doling out the maximum sentences allowed to the unlucky scum found guilty in his court. During his tenure, he had already sentenced many of Hirohito's reputed top henchmen for various convictions, including but not limited to: racketeering, money laundering, extortion, kidnapping, and murder.

Just a little less than a year ago, while partaking in a weekly luncheon with her son, Yoshimitsu's own daughter was fatally shot- an act believed by many to have been a warning against the judge's relentless persecution of Hirohito's men.

Of course, it was never proven, but the theory was easy to understand.

What Kikyo could _not_ understand was why Reikotsu should be after her.

She only knew of the man by his reputation, and she could not see how she was a threat to him or his interests. Whatever power she might have held and used against him she had long ago abandoned by leaving her family. And it was not as if he wished her dead either. Had that been the case, surely an attempt would have been made already.

So what interest did she hold for him?

She knew of course, that tension ran high between Hirohito and her own house and the InuTaisho's, and Naraku had informed her that no more than a year ago Lord Inutaisho, with Midoriko's full support, had stepped up his campaign to oust Reikotsu from power, but she hardly saw what it had to do with her. Unless, as Naraku had mused, he intended to kidnap her to use as leverage against the two families.

Kikyo had almost laughed. The families that in all essence, had disowned her? Counted her dead? Surely Reikotsu was insane to think she could be used for such purposes. Not only would Midoriko refuse to negotiate through such tactics, but Kikyo herself would have bitten her own tongue and drowned in her own blood than accept rescue from her estranged kin and be forever indebted thereafter.

It was asinine, and yet whatever the reason, Kikyo had no desire to find out.

All she cared to do now was to drop from sight of Reikotsu's viewfinder, disappear from the world completely.

Just as she wished to do so now when _he_ burst in.

Inuyasha was the first to arrive, huffing and puffing from lack of breath, his eyes widened at the sight of her.

"Ki-Kikyo... It... It really is you!"

He strode forward; she instinctively took a step back and bumped into a large oriental vase.

Inuyasha halted, the light fleeing from his eyes at her movement.

"Kikyo..."

"Kikyo!" Kagome ran in followed by Sango and Miroku, and her eyes quickly spotted her fiancé. "Inu...Inuyasha...?"

Seconds later, Mai and Izayoi appeared, then her husband Inutaisho and two faces whom she did not recognize. The first was a little girl- Rin, Kikyo concluded, when the she broke into a run to throw herself into Izayoi's arms exclaiming a happy, "Mommy!" She was trailed by a man as tall as Lord InuTaisho and bearing the same distinctive traits as the males of his family- silver hair and golden eyes that surveyed the situation before him with cold detachment.

Although no introductions were given, her mind ticked back to the newspaper article and she realized he must have been the 'Sesshomaru' it had eluded to underneath the fuzzy picture.

She acknowledged him only briefly before dropping her eyes once more to her grandmother.

"I hardly think an ambush necessary," she stated dryly.

Only she could ever be so lucky as to have everyone present to greet her except for the one person who could deliver what she wanted.

Surely the Fates mocked her.

The awkwardness of the situation had created an inescapable vacuum. No one answered and no one moved, their breaths suspended in the air.

Her lips twitched down in irritation.

It was neither her turn to speak nor her obligation to begin, but did they plan to merely stand slack jawed and waste the time she could not afford?

Leaning back against her mother with Izayoi's hands on her shoulders, Rin studied Kikyo shortly before tilting her head upward to ask;

"Mommy?"

At last stirred from her haze, Izayoi glanced down at her daughter, "Y-yes, darling?"

Rin opened her mouth to speak, but instead of her own, another voice called out, "_Maman!_"

Everyone turned as Sakura flew in through the front doors only to skid to a halt, frozen by the stunned eyes that stared down at her. She shrank back fearfully until she saw Kikyo in their midst.

Hurriedly, she brushed past Inuyasha and Kagome who parted to allow her to pass. Wrapping herself securely to her _maman's_ leg, Sakura's eyes fluttered from one unfamiliar face to the next before settling on Kikyo's.

"_Maman_," she tried again. "Le conducteur... _he says he cannot wait much longer_..."

With a small nod at the girl, Kikyo glanced around her "May we hurry this? I have a taxi waiting."

Once again, no one responded- this time their tongues held back not by discomfort but by sheer shock at the creature that was little by little melding herself into Kikyo's legs.

It was Inuyasha who voiced the question running rampant in everyone's mind.

"Kikyo... Who... Who is she?"

Kikyo met his anxious gaze evenly and in a quiet tone answered, "I hardly see where that would concern you... Inuyasha." His name dropped from her lips- a pointed afterthought that speared his heart.

"But if you are so curious," she continued without blinking and drawing the girl protectively closer, "she is my daughter."

A sharp collective intake of breath, and the world stood still.

...OOO...


	14. Chapter 13: The Price of Peace

**Chapter Thirteen**

_**The Price of Peace**_

...OOO...

"Come o-on, _Sesshomaru!_" Rin whined, tugging his hand impatiently toward the main house. "I wan' to see my cousin, too!"

Unlike his little sister, Sesshomaru was not in the least bit curious of this 'Kikyo'.

That she was Inuyasha's former lover (or whatever they might have been) hardly concerned him and she was, in fact, everyone's problem but his own.

Nevertheless, Totosai had urged him to follow his father if nothing more than to give the young heir apparent an idea of what might await him in the future.

Sesshomaru hardly considered it appealing or worthwhile, but Rin insisted on going and proceeded to drag him along with her. As always, he found it impossible to deny her the harmless request.

At the North Mansion, Rin slipped from his hand to throw herself at her mother.

They were the last to arrive and found everyone congregated around the foyer forming a crude semicircle around a woman he judged a little younger than himself- long ebony hair and milky white skin.

Without his summons, the image of the girl sitting beneath the tree holding her hand up to him flashed before his mind and vanished to be replaced by the woman's bemused expression as her eyes beheld the newcomers.

Dryly, she stated to her grandmother, "I hardly think an ambush necessary."

Sesshomaru found it cynically humorous though he could hardly sympathize with her plight. After all, she must have been aware what sort of welcome had awaited her. By that very statement alone, she proved her lack of naivete.

And yet she returned anyway.

A hint of annoyance flitted across her features as she waited for someone to begin the confrontation, but everyone's tongue had been stilled. No one wished to reveal their true colors in Rin's presence, and in the end it was the young girl who spoke.

"Mommy?" she asked, glancing up at her mother and pulling her out of her reverie.

"Y-yes, darling?"

Rin opened her mouth but it was another voice which called out;

"_Maman!_"

On impulse everyone whirled to the source of the intrusion: a young girl of Rin's age flying through the front door.

Ash hued hair set into two low braids, lightly tanned skin, large golden eyes- Sesshomaru's own widened with surprise and recognition. It was the very same girl as had returned his wallet, as had ran into him in the cemetery that same day- the one whose existence he had dismissed as quickly as acknowledge, though apparently not effectively enough.

Colliding with the collective force of the others' stares, she ground to a halt, backing up several steps until her honeyed vision set itself upon the Kikyo woman and she rushed to her, wrapping her slim arms around one of the woman's legs for security.

"_Maman..._" she began again in to deliver her message in a tongue he could not translate.

Nodding understanding, the woman glanced about her at the rest of the party.

"May we hurry this?" she prompted in all civility. "I have a taxi waiting."

It was Inuyasha who responded with the question that was in everyone else's mind but Sesshomaru's.

"Kikyo..." his younger brother questioned tentatively. "Who... who is she?"

Sesshomaru would have thought the answer obvious.

Meeting Inuyasha's gaze levelly, the woman graced them with an answer.

"I hardly see," she said, "where that would concern you... Inuyasha." The pointed nuance in the name did not escape his usually dense minded brother, and under his keen scrutiny, Sesshomaru noted the inward flinch. She might as well have slapped him.

Instead she went on, "But if you are so curious..."

A hand gripped at the girl's shoulder as she drew her closer, her eyes and tone of voice defiant.

"She is my daughter."

Somewhere from above, a switch was thrown and an invisible vacuum snatched the air of everyone's collective gasp.

Everyone save him of course.

Yes, the woman was young- much too young and unmarried (as attested to by her unadorned left hand) in their proper society to bear a daughter of the girl's age, but such circumstances were hardly a rare thing.

And eternity of seconds ticked by before old Lady Kaede hobbled forward to her granddaughter, one hand tightly grasping her cane for support while the other held itself out in supplication. Her mouth opened but no words ever came.

Instead, she changed her mind and dropped dazedly down to a nearby chair.

"MOTHER!" Mai rushed forward to offer her attendance. "Are you alright? Mother?" Over her shoulder, she threw out to her younger relations, "Quick- a glass of water!"

Miroku nodded and ran to obey, "Yes, right away!"

"Mother?" the woman continued placing a restraining arm around her shoulder. "Mother?"

"I'm alright, I'm alright," Kaede insisted with a dismissive wave at her daughter before refocusing her attention to her errant grandchild. "Kikyo- when did this... how did... who?" she inquired speechlessly.

The younger woman looked away.

"I did not come, Grandmother," she replied in an even controlled tone, "to discuss my affairs, nor do I believe it to be relevant- to you or anyone else."

"You..." Mai's indignant tone rose with her person as she strode to her niece. "You- you were the one who left and now you think you can just come back to say whatever it is you please? You are no longer of this family. You have no right to be here!"

Her hand drew back to strike only to stall in midair, frozen by the weight of the younger woman's snapped gaze.

"Nor do I care," she replied coldly, "or wish to be but as it is, I have come only for what is mine. Grant it to me and I will gladly rid you of my presence."

"What are you demanding?" Sesshomaru questioned, speaking for the first time. It was about time someone got down to the point, and he doubted that if he did not do it himself that anyone ever would.

Her gaze flitted over to him, but it was his own father who answered.

With a weary sigh, Inutaisho turned to his wife and their young daughter.

"Izayoi..."

She read his mind and tugged Rin away.

"Come, darling. Let's go outside for a moment, alright?"

They readied to leave, but then Izayoi stopped. Looking back to Kikyo, her gaze dropped momentarily to the second child at her side.

"Kikyo, if you would like I can take... _her_ along," she offered.

The other woman deliberated for a second before relenting.

"Sakura," she said gently to the girl hugging her side. "Sont assortis à elle." A small, encouraging smile faltered on her lips, and reluctantly, the girl eased her embrace.

"Oui, _maman_," she murmured and trotted after Izayoi who led the two girls out onto the terrace.

Once the door was secured, Inutaisho released another sigh, though this one of relief.

"So, Kikyo," he commenced diplomatically. "Just what is it do you want?"

No trace of fear or hesitation marked her composure as she answered factually, "The diamond. The Shikon no Tama- I wish it back."

"WHAT?" Mai exploded. "And just what makes you think we're going to simply hand that over?"

"Because it belongs to me!" Kikyo shot back.

"Under what delusion?" her aunt countered.

"That diamond's not yours," Kagome argued. "It belongs to the family!"

"_That _diamond," her cousin corrected, laying heavy emphasis on her words, "belongedto _my_ mother who in turn willed it to me. I demand it returned! Grandmother?" She turned to the elderly woman for arbitration, but Kaede only held out her hands helplessly.

"As I told you, child. Only Midoriko can access it from the bank. There is nothing I can do..."

"Mother!" Mai exclaimed. "Don't tell me you would actually give it to her! Midoriko will never agree to it," she asserted, hoping that invoking her older sister's name would bring some sense back to their mother.

"I have already spoken to Midoriko," Kaede informed her.

"And?"

"And she says she will only discuss the matter once she comes home."

"This is unbelievable..." Defeated, Mai staggered back several steps before she caught herself and whirled to face Kikyo once more. "And what exactly do you plan to do with the diamond?"

"That is hardly your concern," the woman dismissed cooly.

But her aunt was not one to be brushed aside so easily.

"It's money," she concluded accusingly. "That's it, isn't it?"

"My god," Sango gasped. "You plan to _sell_ the Shikon?"

"What I choose to do or not do with my property is not for your consideration." Weary of arguing, the woman's tone had dwindled to just above inaudible, and yet it remained firm in its resolve.

Sesshomaru continued to watch the scene unfold with only the slightest curiosity of who would persevere.

"Alright, alright," his father interceded. "Enough. Everyone just calm down. Kikyo- you say you're in a hurry?"

"I have a flight to catch this afternoon," she answered quietly.

"Very we-"

"WHAT?" It was Inuyasha. "You- you're leaving? TO WHERE?"

"It is none of your concern," she repeated detachedly.

"Like hell it isn't!" he yelled. "I'm not just going to stand here and watch you leave again. Dammit- Kikyo!"

"Inuyasha!" Inutaisho growled a warning to his younger son, glancing empathically at Kagome who had taken a step back, a stunned expression implanted across her face.

Suddenly remembering the presence of his fiancee, Inuyasha stammered her name.

"Kagome..." Desperately, he reached a hand to her, but she brushed it away.

Spinning on her toes, Kagome threw herself through the front doors, slamming it so hard behind her the lock failed to catch and it once again swung open.

"KAGOME! WAIT!" He started to follow but stopped to glance back uncertainly at the other woman. "Kikyo..."

Kikyo merely turned her head.

"Inuyasha." Their father's stern voice cut through his son's indecision, and with just one more peek over his shoulder, Inuyasha rushed after his bride-to-be.

"Shall we continue?" the remaining granddaughter prodded.

Inutaisho turned to face the woman squarely- a stance Sesshomaru knew all too well. It was his father's business stance. No nonsense, no mercy.

"Name your price."

The most ephemeral of smiles fluttered past the woman's lips as they parted to answer.

...OOO...

**_This chapter dedicated to PurePower in thanks for sending me the box load of goodies. _**He he.

**Note: **This is my story and I'll write it as I like. If you're enjoying it so far, then by all means, I'm glad. But if not, and if you don't agree with where you _think_ this is going, well, either you can keep reading to see if you were right in hating it, or just don't bother at all.

I have no intention in deviating from my original plot simply because one or two might not agree with a point here and there.

With that said, I don't appreciate flames, but if you feel the need, well, I can't stop you, but it's not going to make a difference either.

Anyway, if you find this blunt and take offense, well, sorry. Maybe it's just that time of month and someone drank my orange juice. (I'm moody and howling at the moon.)


	15. Chapter 14: Ultimatum

**Chapter Fourteen**

_**Ultimatum**_

...OOO...

"Lady Kaede?" The maid came in with a cordless phone in hand, palm over the mouthpiece. "I'm sorry to interrupt," she apologized with a respectful bow to both elders, "but Lady Midoriko is on line one. She says it is urgent." Handing the phone to Kaede, she made one last polite curtsy before taking her leave.

Speechless with bewilderment, Kaede accepted the phone.

"Yes?"

Kikyo fell silent while her grandmother spoke, listening intently with everyone else to the one side of the conversation they were permitted to hear.

"Yes, she is," Kaede answered her daughter. "No... Are you sure, of that?... No... Yes... Lord Inutaisho and your sister... Yes, the others as well... No, no she is not." More irrelevant words were exchanged until at last, the elderly matriarch held the phone aloft to Inutaisho.

"She wishes to speak with you," she announced.

"Yes?" Inutaisho spoke into the phone.

Like with her grandmother, Kikyo could make little of what he spoke to Midoriko but she eyed him carefully as he paced the room absently- five steps forward, five steps back.

At last he replied to the receiver, "I do not agree but the matter is for your consideration. It is your family, and I will respect your decisions... Yes, and to you as well."

Finishing the conversation, he passed the phone along without explanation to Kikyo.

"If you will excuse me," he said with a slight bow to Kaede.

"WHAT?" Mai exploded incredulously. "You mean, that's it? You're just going to leave it at that?"

"This matter is no longer within my hands," Inutaisho responded cooly.

As he made to leave, his son made to follow only to be stopped by his father.

"Sesshomaru," the lord addressed his eldest. "I would like you to remain in my stead. Please inform me later of whatever conclusions Lady Midoriko and... her niece come to."

For a mere second, Sesshomaru paused, a fleeting hint of annoyance sparking in his dull golden eyes, but he seemed to think better of it and conceded.

Tentatively, Kikyo brought the phone to her ear.

"Yes?"

She could hear the amused smirk in Midoriko's tone.

"I'm glad to understand," the older woman spoke, "that you've lost none of your resolve all these years."

Kikyo frowned slightly.

"And I am glad," she retorted, "to understand that at least _you_ find this situation to be entertaining." To singlehandedly fight both families for something that was legally hers in the first place was hardly something Kikyo found pleasant, but yes- she was determined to gain the Shikon diamond. Even if it meant confronting the very people she had once called her family in the very place she had once called her home. Even if it meant having her mistakes and selfish decisions thrown back in her face. None of it mattered compared to the one thing that did.

"Hardly," her aunt defended. "Rather, I am quite surprised it took you this long to return."

"I had no such intentions," Kikyo told her. "But circumstance required otherwise. Now, if you do not mind- as I am sure you have more important matters to attend to- the diamond."

"Ah, yes. Well, as Mother has most definitely relayed to you, I am the only one who can retrieve it from the bank but unfortunately _circumstance_ maintains that I remain away for another week."

"I don't have a week to wait," Kikyo quipped back. Irritation gnawed at her patience. She was in a hurry to be on her way, and yet it seemed everyone was just as anxious to delay her by speaking in circles.

"Then you have nothing," Midoriko concluded. "Do not think me so daft that my absence would keep me from knowing exactly what is occurring in the manor. Your resolve might be intact, dear girl, but I see your pride and dignity have sadly declined to the point you would accept their petty bribes. Is that so? Dear girl, have you forgotten who you are? Your name? The blood that runs through your veins?"

A short bitter laugh escaped Kikyo's scornful lips.

Who she was? They had no idea. They never cared to.

"Drop the banalities, Auntie," she returned dryly. "Do not presume you know more than I, and do not presume you understand my situation. I only one what is mine."

"And it is all you shall have! I am forbidding anyone- anyone- from buying you with money. If it is the Shikon you are after, then wait a week and it shall be yours. I will allow you to leave the manor with _only_ the diamond- or nothing at all."

"And where do you expect me to while away this week I cannot afford?" she shot back angrily, her blood boiling.

_How dare they?_

How dare any of them do this to her?

It was obvious enough no one wanted her back, and yet they were not willing to just let her leave without first dragging out their petty punishment. No, they had to make their victory complete.

What was it exactly they were trying to achieve by taunting her like this?

Could they- could _Midoriko_ see through her facade and read her desperation? How much she needed that diamond? That money?

Was this her punishment for leaving so long ago and cutting off her direct access to the family's wealth? For daring to think she might survive without them?

She did not need to be with her to see the smile dripping triumphantly from Midoriko's lips.

"I believe it can be arranged..."

Wordlessly, Kikyo listened to the terms her aunt laid out for her.

One week in the manor- just one week until Midoriko returned. She would not be obligated to carry any duties or responsibilities. Only free room and board.

Just one week.

Still, Kikyo balked at the idea.

To stay at a place she had had no desire to step foot in again? To share a roof with those who had not cared to see her again? Much less tolerate her company amongst them?

One week of subtle hostilities and walking on eggshells as everyone picked apart her faults? Rehashed their contempt?

She would have rather taken her chances in the slums and ghettos than subject herself to a week in Goshinboku.

But...

Glancing out of a nearby window, she could see out into the front gardens where Izayoi laughingly pointed out butterflies while Rin chased them down with a net. Just a little ways off, Sakura sat on the ground, absentmindedly picking at the grass, her butterfly net discarded beside her. She looked back towards the manor, drawn by the force of Kikyo's attention, but she was too far away to see anything past the glare of the sun on the well polished glass.

A lethargic air of melancholy infused the little girl's aura and connected with that of the older woman.

Kikyo closed her eyes.

None of it was fair, she thought, releasing a slow sigh. Least of all to Sakura.

"One week," she answered softly to the phone. "Just one..."

She did not wait for Midoriko to respond before handing the phone back to Kaede. Then sidestepping her relations, she brushed past Sesshomaru;

"Excuse me..." and drifted out the front doors.

Sakura scampered to her feet when she saw her approach and ran to greet her.

"_Are we ready to go, maman?_"

Kikyo tried to smile.

From behind just seconds after her, a pair of servants had appeared and were making their way down the long driveway to where the taxi patiently awaited at the curb.

"_No... not quite,_" she replied before adding, "_Sakura... how would you like to stay here for a while?_"

The girl beamed brilliantly- who wouldn't want to live in fairytale palace like this?

"_Really, maman?_" she asked breathlessly.

Kikyo's smile became more solid.

"_Only for a while,_" she repeated, but it was lost to Sakura's excitement.

Maybe she had been right after all, and they really had reached their destination. Maybe, after so long, they really were home...

...OOO...


	16. Chapter 15: Priorities

**Chapter 15**

**_Priorities_**

...OOO...**_  
_**

Midoriko smiled to herself as she hung up the phone. She knew, of course, about the less-than-welcoming reception her niece had likely received from the others, just as she knew the sort of havoc Kikyo's presence would provoke in the house, how it might imperil the engagement between Kagome and Inuyasha.

But if she had to choose between Kagome's happiness, her family's comfort, Kikyo, or the continuance of their ancient house and bloodline, the latter would always win without difficult. It was her sworn duty, after all, her topmost priority, the survival of their family name. Nothing else mattered but that. And now here was a way to make it all right again, ensure that survival. Little by little, all the doubts and worries which had plagued her at the engagement party began to ease themselves, slip slowly from her mind. Kikyo was back and everything would be alright again. Midoriko would make sure of it.

...OOO...

* * *

**AN: **Hello, everyone. I know it has been a very, very, very long time since I've last updated this story or anything else, for that matter, on my page. To be honest, I was more or less finished with fanfiction, dedicating whatever time I might have to write original projects. Stories and just the act of writing don't come so easily as they once did, though I'd like to think it's because I've grown more discerning. Who knows. The point is, I was quite moved by the dedication some of you have shown towards this piece, poking at me over the last _three years_, asking and hoping for an update, and well... I've had a lot of time on my hands as of late and have been writing more, and after rereading this story... Well, I can't see why I can't set some time aside and at least try and finish it. I think there is still some possibility here, and I wanted to thank Kyoukochan and everyone else who's poked at me and tried to remind me of the merits to this story.

That said, I know this update was really short, but I'm going to dedicate the rest of the night to another, and with some luck, there will be a new chapter to post by morning. Once again, thanks to all the fans of this story who's stuck with it! I hope you continue to enjoy it and that it doesn't disappoint. :)


	17. Chapter 16: Doublesided Swords

**Chapter Sixteen**

**_Double-sided Swords_**

...OOO...**_  
_**

They were given a suite in the east wing of the main house consisting of three large and lavishly furnished rooms—a bedroom with two canopied beds, polished cherry dressers and an armoire; a bathroom with a porcelain claw-foot tub large enough to accommodate three people; and a sitting room with a coffee table, plush chairs, a writing desk, and a grand fireplace. Above its mantle, a giant oil painting hung depicting a pretty young woman in an elaborate kimono sitting and posed Western-style on a carved chair, an open fan in her hand. Wide-eyed, Sakura gaped up at the painting, captivated by its beauty. Silently, she licked her lip and pointed.

"_Maman? _Qui est elle?" _Who is she?_

Standing by the window, Kikyo looked up and followed her finger. She thought back a moment before smiling. "That is my great-great-great grandmother," she said, not bothering to speak in French. "Her name was Himeko. And that painting is by Renoir. Do you remember?" she asked. In Paris they had gone to several museums including the Musée d'Orsay which housed an extensive collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist pieces including a few by the artist. This particular painting above the fireplace was noted to cost a modern day fortune.

Sakura smiled back at her, remembering. "La fille," she answered. _The girl_. "_On the swing_." Walking over to where Kikyo stood, she leaned against her and looked out of the window into a garden full of roses heavy with blooms of all colors—reds and pinks, whites and oranges, yellows, creams, and blush peach. There were even a few that were purple, and one that was pale blue.

"This room is called the Rose Room," Kikyo told her, "because it overlooks the Rose Garden."

"Très beau," Sakura breathed. The house was really like a castle, full of so many beautiful things that she did not even know where to begin, found herself in awe of everything she saw and discovered.

Above her, Kikyo moved, walking away from the window to sink silently into one of the chairs. Unlike the girl, she didn't share the same sense of excitement or good fortune. Instead, a vague apprehension filled her thoughts. Something she could not help worrying about.

It was only a week, she tried to reassure herself. She could manage that. If she could, she would spend as much of it confined to her rooms. There would not be much need for her to interact with everyone else, not until Midoriko came home. But still, something worried her.

_Inuyasha…_

His face flashed unbidden in her mind, the pained expression it wore when he first saw her, and then the reluctance… the conflict brewing in his heart. She wondered how much he loved Kagome. _If_ he loved Kagome. It had been apparent that afternoon that he had thought about her, but… How real was that sentiment? Was it only due to his surprise that he had reacted as he did, or did he… Did he really miss her? Did he still love her, even now, even after all these years?

She didn't know and worse still, didn't know if she wanted to know. And what about her feelings, she wondered to herself. How did she still feel towards him? Could love linger in her heart for so long, surviving on nothing but bittersweet memories?

When she was still a girl, growing up, she had always thought that of everyone she knew—everyone she had ever known, he was the only one who really knew her. Who cared about her, that girl that she never showed to anyone else.

Did he still know her, she wondered. Did he still care to care? Did she want him to?

A lot of questions without ready answers that left her feeling tired and defeated. She sank lower in the chair and leaned her head back, staring at the coffered ceiling above her. Then she closed her eyes.

_At least Sakura is happy, _she thought. _And safe_. Kikyo could hear her running back and forth between the rooms, exploring everything with great gusto and greater curiosity until she noticed her _Maman_ on the chair. Abandoning the drawer she had just pulled open from the writing desk, she shuffled over to Kikyo.

"_Maman?_" she whispered, a tremble of worry creeping into her voice.

Kikyo stayed still for a few more seconds before opening her eyes, raising her head, and managing a small smile. "Shall we unpack, then?" she inquired, as much to herself as to the girl. Hoisting herself to her feet, she took Sakura's hand and led her into the bedroom where the valet had deposited their suitcases and lifted one onto the bed. She opened it up and ran a hand over their meager bits of clothing, threadbare dresses and blouses bought mostly from discount stores and secondhand shops. They had served them well all throughout their travels from small towns and big cities, green mountains and sandy beaches, but they were unfit in their luxurious surroundings. Sad-looking, even. Despondent and melancholy like artifacts of a forgotten era.

She would go shopping, Kikyo decided. Nothing grand. Just a couple of dresses to get them through the week. Surely she could afford that.

_Tomorrow_, she thought. When she went to see Naraku to tell him of the delay, she would stop by one of the many malls and buy Sakura something nice to wear. But for the moment, however…

Plucking a small dress from amongst the rest, Kikyo held it up for better examination. It was one of the newer ones she had bought, a halter dress of light cotton fabric, pale yellow and embroidered with small white flowers around the hem. It was very quaint and cute. Not exactly rich, but…

_It will do_.

"Would you like to take a walk?" she asked Sakura, already knowing the answer. "In the garden?"

...OOO...

Kagome was crying, more or less inconsolably, locked in her room in the East Mansion, ignoring Inuyasha's pleas and door pounding until he finally went away. She didn't want to talk to him, didn't want to listen to whatever he had to say, though she took a bit of satisfaction in his insistence, the panicked way he tried to talk to her.

_Let him suffer for a while_. The thought flashed across her mind. After all, why should she be the only one to have her feelings hurt? After all these years…

She had thought he was over her, over Kikyo and their high school romance. She had been gone for so long that Kagome had almost convinced herself she had never existed at all, that she was just part of a dream that never actually happened, and that she, Kagome, was—and has always been—the only girl Inuyasha had ever loved. How foolish she was, she cried, the tears springing afresh as she buried her face into her pillow.

Inuyasha had never forgotten about Kikyo. Never. Never.

Kagome wasn't a genius, but it didn't take one to read between the lines of her fiancé's reaction. She had seen it, as plain as day, the way he almost touched—_hugged_—Kikyo. If no one else had been there, if it had only been the two of them at that meeting… It was too painful to think about it, and Kagome did not want to, but still the images came unbidden, unraveling like a reel of film. Inuyasha and Kikyo embracing. Inuyasha and Kikyo kissing. Inuyasha and Kikyo gazing lovingly at one another, laughing, holding hands… Each snapshot of them growing younger and younger until Kagome realized she was no longer imagining scenarios that did not happen but instead recalling memories from their childhood and adolescence. She had been there, as much as either Kikyo or Inuyasha, though she doubted they noticed her then. But she had been there and had witnessed it all firsthand her fiancé's Great Love. The devotion the two had held for one another, how they were always together, how Inuyasha had worshipped Kikyo.

How _everyone_ had worshipped Kikyo. She was always so perfect—so graceful, so smart, so beautiful, talented beyond compare. The heir of their family's ancient dynasty. Beside her, Kagome had never stood a chance, was always lost somewhere in her vast shadow.

When Kikyo ran away, Kagome had—guiltily and shamefully—felt so relieved, so _almost_ happy like a person breathing free, unpolluted air for the first time in her life. She had felt so bad for that secret joy, and had punished and reprimanded herself, knowing how wrong it was to be glad that Kikyo was gone when everyone else was in panic. But none of her family's worry and none of her guilt or attempts to punish herself had done anything to diminish her true feelings.

And now…

And now she was being punished, she thought, for her impure emotions in the past. Kikyo was back, and it was only a matter of time before Inuyasha fell in love with her again and she took everything back—Inuyasha, her family, her inheritance.

And what would that leave Kagome?

Nothing.

When everything was over, Kagome knew, Kikyo would have everything, and she… She would have nothing.

Kagome raised her head from the pillow. Through her tears, she glared at her room, biting her lips hard. A look of determination. An attempt to keep back the utter feeling of defeat threatening to overwhelm and dissolve her into a puddle of saltwater.

"No!" she said aloud to herself. "I won't let it happen!" She refused to fall victim to fate. She would not go back into Kikyo's shadow. Not willingly. Not if she had even the slightest chance and strength to endure. If Kikyo wanted everything back, she would have to fight Kagome for it, and Kagome promised herself—she would not surrender.

...OOO...

* * *

**AN: **I hope it tides you over for a while. At the moment, I'm actively involved in three writing projects (not including this one) as well as semi-actively involved in an art project and have three novels I have to finish reading before the end of the month, so it might be a while before the next update, though I hope to be consistent and update every few days or so... maybe once a week. Thanks, everyone!

PS: I'm not usually one to vilify canon characters (unless of course they are actually villains to begin with) but take note that Kagome might seem a bit... bitchy in this story, though it's mostly due to insecurity as opposed to her being just mean-spirited, and she will still (hopefully) have some redeeming characteristics shine through before it's all over.

PPS: Also, I tried really hard to keep the writing consistent, but keep in mind three years has passed, so it might not be 100% the same. Certainly though, it's better than rewriting the whole thing. Lol.


	18. Chapter 17: Pros and Cons

**Chapter Seventeen**

_**Pros and Cons**_

...OOO...

The garden was heady with the mixed scents of roses, some sweet, others spicy, and some with a slightly citrusy tang to their petals. A treat for the nose as much as the eyes. Sesshomaru sat on the metal bench half-hidden behind an arched arbor and small bubbling fountain; his favorite spot in the entire compound, mostly because it was peaceful, the garden unvisited by others aside from himself and the head housekeeper who sometimes came to snip flowers for bouquets. He liked the tranquility of it, the solitude, and after the happenings earlier that afternoon, it was good to get away.

After the woman—Kikyo—had taken her leave, Lady Kaede had conversed momentarily on the phone with her daughter, a conversation that she ended with a somewhat dejected air of defeat as she handed the receiver back to the awaiting maid, ordered a couple of others to retrieve whatever luggage her granddaughter might have had awaiting her in the taxi outside the manor gates. She had then addressed the small crowd still gathered around her, informed them that Kikyo would be staying for the week until Midoriko returned and the whole business with the diamond taken care of. She then gave instructions to the others to treat the woman and her daughter with civility, specifically forbade further confrontations at least until Midoriko returned and could take the entire situation out of her hands. Not that it wasn't already. Lady Kaede then gave a short bow and excused herself, retiring to her room. Shortly after, he too had walked out, leaving the others to murmur and gossip to themselves. He had returned to the West Mansion to speak with his father and relay all that had transpired in the main house.

InuTaisho had merely nodded at the end of his son's report, gazing intently out the window that overlooked the large circular courtyard. "Do you know the significance of it, Sesshomaru?" he asked his son without turning to look at him. "The implication behind Lady Kikyo's return and Midoriko's wish to have her stay?"

No, Sesshomaru did not know, guessed only that it had something to do with Inuyasha and his engagement and the jeopardy it placed the latter in.

"She is the heir, Sesshomaru," his father continued without waiting for an answer, "of the House of Higurashi. She is your counterpart. The one Midoriko wishes to succeed her."

"She hardly seems fitting," Sesshomaru noted.

"Do not underestimate Kikyo," his father cautioned. "You were not here to witness her as she grew older, nor do you know anything about her. She is a formidable woman, strong, willful, and intelligent—it will serve no one well to make an enemy out of her."

"I fail to see the significance," Sesshomaru insisted. "She hardly seems interested in staying."

"No…" His father's glance drifted out of focus, took on the quality of the far away. "But that she should return, now of all times… There is something not quite… apparent behind these events. Sesshomaru. I'd like you to keep an eye on her, keep current on any developments that might unfold during her stay."

"May I ask why?"

"Call it a hunch," his father answered. "But whatever the outcome of this may be, you may be sure it will affect not only their family, but ours as well. The future of our houses will rest largely on whether she stays or goes."

For the last hour or so, Sesshomaru had ruminated this point in the sanctuary of the Rose Garden, not quite understanding what it was his father had meant. After all, what did it matter if the woman stayed or not, or for that matter, took her place at the head of her house. He hardly saw what difference it would make, especially if he, Sesshomaru, took his own place as head of the InuTaisho family.

He had thought about it more since Inuyasha's engagement and had since warmed up more and more to the idea. True the cons still remained—the burden of carrying not only his worthless brother's weight, but that of the Higurashi's—but more and more he became convinced that the power the position afforded, as the undefied leader of two prominent houses more than made up for that bit of annoyance. The things he could do, he thought, the changes he would make in how the two houses were managed, what businesses they would undertake, which politicians they would back. Indeed, the position held a limitless potential for power and prestige—two things Sesshomaru considered as his birthright and therefore never to be given up to anyone else. Let alone Inuyasha.

And therein was the hitch, he decided. On the one hand, if Inuyasha did go through with his marriage to Kagome, he would, technically be the head (or at least, married to the head) of the Higurashi House, and though Sesshomaru had no doubts as to his brother's incompetence, that did not necessarily exclude the possibility of Inuyasha exploiting his position, using it to undermine him in future endeavors… perhaps even usurp his authority completely. After all, Sesshomaru had no delusions as to his younger brother's popularity with the families—particularly the larger numbered Higurashis whom Inuyasha was technically related to via his mother, a second cousin, in fact, of the main bloodline. Such close blood and marriage ties was dangerous, something Sesshomaru had to keep in mind. It would do no good for him, if he should succeed his father and find the position to be nothing more than ceremonial, if in fact, his competence and abilities were eclipsed by Inuyasha's popularity. He would not stand for it, but it was a possibility he couldn't wholly ignore either.

On the other hand, however, should this Kikyo woman take power as matriarch of the Higurashis, it would prevent the issue of Inuyasha ascending as head of both their houses, but it hardly assured his own power. How likely would it be, he wondered, that, should she stay and become head of her house, she would merely concede to his authority? He did not know nearly enough about her or her character to count her as either an ally or an enemy, a supporter or an obstacle, but somehow, he doubted he could count on her to be the former. _Strong-willed and intelligent_, his father had told him. Likely a hindrance. Someone who would not think twice to oppose him.

_It's no wonder Midoriko wants her to stay, _he realized. If she was indeed as formidable as his father believed, then she would certainly prove to be an asset to the Higurashi's, their key perhaps (along with Inuyasha) to dominating the alliance.

The thought irked him, and his finger twitched on the painted metal of the bench. What then should he do, he wondered. Which horse should he back? Which threat should he nullify? An annoyance he did not want to contemplate. Rising to his feet, he readied himself to return to the house when he heard the sound of approaching bodies—the rustle of leaves and padded footsteps on the lush grass. He sat down again and waited for them to pass, hoped it was no one in search of him or of his attention. To his surprise, however, it was a young girl who ran past and did not see him, spinning on the balls of her feet and inhaling deeply in awe at the profusion of flowers and scents in the garden.

"Ah! Tres beau!" she exclaimed, flitting about from one rosebush to another, sniffing at their blossoms with appreciative sighs. Sesshomaru stayed still. The girl skipped towards him, spotted his figure amongst the flowers, and let out a surprised yelp, falling backwards on the grass. "Ah!" She stared at him with wide, fearful eyes.

"Sakura?" The woman's voice floated to them, followed shortly by the woman herself, dressed in a long white sundress that drifted across the grass. "Qu'est-ce qu'il y a?" She stood behind the girl and froze, noticing Sesshomaru behind the rose foliage. Sakura scurried to her feet and clung to the woman.

Sesshomaru rose to stand.

"I apologize," the woman spoke with a small bow of her head. "We did not mean to intrude."

"I was just leaving," he said, straightening the buttons of his suit jacket.

"No, please." She bowed her head again. "There's no need. We will be on our way."

"Take your time," he told her, but she paid no attention.

Turning to the girl, she held out her hand. "Come along Sakura."

They were starting to walk away when he commented, "It's as much yours as it is mine."

The woman halted and glanced back at him, startled by the comment. A second of silence passed before she replied, "No. It was never mine."

...OOO...

* * *

**AN: **Thanks everyone for the hearty welcome back and for all your reviews concerning this story.

To Kyoukochan: I guessed by your name that you were a girl, but you never know. For a while, people on the internet kept mistaking for a boy because of my username... and slightly misogynistic attitude... Just kidding. Anyway, as for the Inuyasha/Kikyo thing, there will be a very small amount (mostly concerning their past relationship), but it's hardly enough to really label it as a love triangle or anything like that.


	19. Chapter 18: A Game of Thrones

**Chapter Eighteen**

**_A Game of Thrones_**

...OOO...**_  
_**

In comparison to the larger banqueting hall made to accommodate parties of up to fifty guests, the family dining room of the North Manor was small and quite cozy, its heavy dark wood table bearing fourteen chairs but set only for eight—the normal number on those nights when Midoriko was home; just enough to receive her, her mother, her sister, her niece, and her four cousins including Inuyasha, who was on most nights the only representative of the InuTaisho family. Even after he had moved into the main house, Sesshomaru rarely took his meals in the dining room, preferring the solitude of his own quarters and only making an appearance when his father also decided to dine there instead of the West Manor. Tonight, however, that wasn't the case, but the immaculate arrangement of china and silverware and crystal at the InuTaisho end of the carefully assigned table caused eyebrows to lift, questioning glances to exchange, inquiries to murmur as to whether the lord would indeed be joining the usual members of the main house. It never occurred to anyone until he arrived that the place was set for Sesshomaru, and they regarded him warily as he sat down in the elaborately carved chair with its crescent moon emblem—the InuTaisho crest that designated the chair for the head of the family.

Of course, it was only right. Sesshomaru, being the first born and therefore premier member of his house in the main mansion, was entitled to sit at the head of table, but it wasn't so much where he was sitting as the fact he was present at all that disquieted the others—Miroku and Sango and Kohaku who had, before his entrance, been talking amongst themselves, exchanging pleasantries and conversation in an attempt to gloss over the tension of that afternoon. Sesshomaru's arrival stilled the flow of their voices, but he took no note of it or of their furtive glances, their appeal for a word or two of explanation or greeting. Anything to dispel the suddenly awkward atmosphere.

"Sesshomaru." It was Miroku who finally spoke, affecting an easy and casual tone. "What a surprise to see you here tonight. And an honor, of course. We rarely have the pleasure."

Sesshomaru didn't reply. Although Miroku was, at most three years younger than himself, Sesshomaru had always regarded him as a boy, an immature child whose company he did not enjoy or care for or, for the most part, even bother to acknowledge. He was Inuyasha's friend, and therefore none of Sesshomaru's business or responsibility. The same as for the others; it was hardly for any of them that he had come that evening. Rather, his presence was nothing more than an attempt to honor his father's request that he keep an eye on the family and any developments that might occur concerning the Higurashis and that woman, Kikyo. But he had arrived too early, and they were attempting to make small talk. Sesshomaru couldn't help but be grateful for the amount of space in between himself and Miroku, three empty chairs to his left, two empty ones to his right.

The places at the long table had always been set according to strict familial hierarchy with the representative head of both families sitting at each end and the branching members falling lower and lower in rank towards the middle with the two center chairs on his right side reserved for the bridging couple (when one was available). Due to his family's small numbers, however, and its lack of auxiliary branches, and the fact that his father and his father's family dined in the West Manor, Sesshomaru's end of the table was empty save for the plate two chairs down on his right. His golden eyes settled on its white, gleaming surface.

"Inuyasha is expected this evening?" He asked the question aloud to no one in particular.

"He eats with us every night," Sango answered him. She sat two spaces from Miroku, her younger brother in between them, and to her left, directly in front of Sesshomaru, the place was set for the head of the Higurashi family—the chair as elaborate as his own and bearing a spherical emblem that he had, at one point, mused to be the sun to his family's moon. But it was just a circle, his father had told him, whatever special significance it might have had lost ages ago to obscurity. It was the chair that often accommodated Lady Midoriko when she was home or her mother when she was not. To its left, three more place settings awaited diners.

Sesshomaru counted the number of remaining places; found it did not add up. Aside from Inuyasha and Lady Kaede who both resided in the North Manor, he also knew that the girl Kagome and her mother also habitually ate their meals in the main house. That left only one spare plate, but he wasn't sure for whom it was meant, could glean little meaning from the seating arrangement because they were the places that were set for the usual members, for Midoriko and her mother and her sister and her niece.

Had she come back somehow, much earlier than expected? Had he miscalculated? Had the woman—Kikyo—requested to dine in her room with her daughter? If so, then his own presence was moot, a fact that annoyed him because he did not want to be there. Sesshomaru thought about changing his mind, but before he could, Inuyasha appeared and took his usual seat. Another evidence, Sesshomaru thought, that the Kikyo woman would not show up—after all, why would his father allow Inuyasha to come if she would? Considering the potential for disaster such close proximity could bring. Nonetheless, he felt it was his duty to stay, to at least listen to anything that might pass between the others regarding Kikyo and her daughter and her stay and whatever it was Midoriko was planning.

He remembered his brief encounter with her that afternoon, the quite way in which she'd spoken, her tone so full of conviction. _"No. It was never mine."_ Sesshomaru had ruminated on these words afterward, wondering what she had meant and concluding nothing but that she had no intention of staying. The whole thing was a waste of his time, but his father, he knew, would insist on some kind of report if nothing more than to test Sesshomaru in his ability to keep note and handle the situation. That was what it boiled down to. Though InuTaisho had given his word to Midoriko not to interfere with the whole affair, Sesshomaru was more than certain his father wanted it handled—wanted it to go away. Specifically, wanted the woman to go away. Though he couldn't say why (for practical or purely sentimental reasons), Sesshomaru knew how much stock his father had on Inuyasha marrying Kagome—an engagement that was now threatened never to happen.

When his brother sat down, Sesshomaru did not fail to notice the look of sheepishness and contrition on the young fool's face. He was certainly quieter than usual, murmuring a subdued "hello" to his friends before sinking low in his chair, trying to avoid everyone's collective gaze. Nor did Sesshomaru fail to notice when Kagome entered with her mother, sitting beside Inuyasha and turning up her nose when the fool opened his mouth to greet her. Still angry and making no attempts to hide it.

A petty airhead and a fool. They were made for each other, Sesshomaru thought grimly.

Despite the heavy makeup she wore to cover it, Kagome's face was still notably puffy, her eyes red-rimmed, the tip of her nose a brilliant shade of pink to match the roses of the centerpiece on the table. She was pouting and refusing to even look at Inuyasha. Next to her, her mother patted her hand encouragingly.

"You'll feel better once you've had something to eat, you'll see," she said, glancing around her to wonder why the servants had yet to begin serving dinner and noticing the unoccupied space at the end. "Is everything alright with Mother?" She turned to a butler to ask. "She's unusually late."

Standing straight beside the dining room entrance, the head butler answered her. "Lady Kaede has asked to dine privately in her room this evening, Madame."

"Oh, is that so? Then who…" Mai's eyes took on a look of confusion before widening with realization, then disbelief. "You don't mean…" They narrowed into an angry glare as she slammed a fist onto the table, causing the silverware and china and stemware to clatter. "What's the meaning of this?" she demanded angrily at the butler. "Why have you set her place there?"

"Madame?" the butler inquired, somewhat startled by her temper.

"Move it!" Mai commanded, almost shouting, her finger pointed accusingly to the head of the table. "Right now!"

"I'm sorry, Madame," the butler stammered. "We were ordered to set that place for Lady Kikyo."

"Well, I'm ordering you to _unset _it," she seethed. "You have no right to put her there! _She_ has no right to _sit_ there. Who told you to do this?"

"Lady Midoriko, Madame," the butler responded. "She phoned the staff personally to arrange it."

"She has no right—" Mai started to argue, but before she could demand again that the plates be removed, she was cut off.

"Have we interrupted something?" The voice that spoke was low and cool, unmoved by the argument that, doubtless, she had overheard, the words it spoke nothing more than props for her contempt. Kikyo stepped into the dining room trailed by her daughter, the little girl's shuffling steps and downcast eyes a stark contrast to the woman's unfaltering gaze, her unhesitating gait. Ignoring the glare of her aunt and the open stares of the others, she led the girl to the table, barely pausing as two servants rushed forth to pull back the chairs, before sitting down opposite of Sesshomaru.

He regarded her with the same unreadable scrutiny as he used on everyone else, but she didn't seem to notice as she shook out her linen napkin and laid it across her lap. Beside her, the girl nearly jumped when Mai slammed an open palm against the table and threw her chair back.

"Mom?" Even a bit of fear crept into Kagome's voice as she stared wide-eyed at her mother.

"I refuse," Mai announced, "to sit at the same table as this traitorous snake. I won't stand for this."

"You're free to leave as you like," Kikyo spoke softly but evenly, keeping her eyes trained on her plate. "As is anyone else who shares your conviction." The girl beside her was visibly shaking, but Mai continued to glare, caught between submission and retreat.

"Mom?" Kagome's voice was still uncertain, her eye pleading… though what it was she was pleading for, she couldn't say.

"I'm sorry, Kagome," her mother replied, inhaling deeply. "I will not stand for this. Please excuse me." She stalked out of the room.

No one else moved, whether to stop her or follow her. Even Kagome looked around the table helplessly. Kikyo didn't speak. Underneath the table, her hand found Sakura's and held it.

At the other end, it was Sesshomaru who moved the meal forward. Raising his hand, he signaled for the butler to serve dinner and the arrival of the food settled everyone else's indecision to stay or go. They focused on their plates and their glasses, their servings of fresh salad and seared ahi tuna and lightly steamed vegetables. For the first time in a long time, dinner was a wordless affair, the silence anchored on either end of the table by a presence that everyone feared and respected, as well as a presence that no one wanted but could do nothing about. The pregnant silence held sway, punctuated only by the light clinking of silverware against fine bone china to mark the progression of courses.

In the end, when the last of the main entrée was cleared away and the small bowls of trifle were being served, it was Miroku who held up his arms. "No, thank you," he said to the butler, declining dessert. "I've had more than enough for this evening. If you don't mind," he added, looking pointedly at Kikyo, "I'll go ahead and take my leave." Pushing his chair back from the table, he rose to his feet and nodded at Sesshomaru. "Lord Sesshomaru." And to everybody else, "Good-night, everyone."

"Wait, Miroku!" Sango's chair made a scraping noise on the wood floor as she followed Miroku's lead, inclining her head in acknowledgment to no one in particular. "Excuse me." Her younger brother followed her more reluctantly, casting an apologetic glance at Kikyo before saying good-night and leaving the table.

A few minutes later, Kagome set aside her half-eaten trifle and rose, careful to ignore Kikyo. At the door, she paused to speak, "Inuyasha." A hard edged command that was difficult to mistake and even more difficult to ignore. Warily, Inuyasha stood.

"Good-night, Kikyo," he murmured quietly. "I'm glad you're okay." And then he too disappeared beneath the arched doorway.

The three that remained sat in the empty silence that followed, not so much as the sound silverware clinking against the glass. Only Kikyo was eating her dessert, navigating the small, long-handled spoon in a way that it made no noise even as it scraped sponge cake and jam and whipped cream from the sides of the bowl. Sakura stared at hers, the alternating layers of bright red and clean white and pale yellow making wavy patterns on the glass. Her appetite was depleted—had been since the start of the meal.

"_Why don't you try it?_" Kikyo suggested in their secret language, and she held out her hands and brought the bowl closer to her, took up the special dessert spoon. She took a few bites before putting it back down. A deep, unnameable sadness overwhelmed her love of sweets. She felt like crying and only managed to fight back the tears because the man was still at the table—the one whom they had run into a few days ago. The one whose wallet she had returned and who had bought yellow flowers for a gravestone. She could feel his gaze on her, and refused to break down while he was still watching. At last, however, Kikyo finished her trifle, pushed the bowl away, and rose from the table.

"Venez," she said. "_Come along, Sakura._"

And Sakura scrambled to her feet to obey. Before walking away, however, Kikyo paused and gave a short bow to the man still at the table.

"Excuse us," she spoke. "Please have a good evening."

"Bonsoir, monsieur," Sakura repeated, and together, they left the dining room.

On his own, Sesshomaru studied the full bowl of trifle sitting untouched in front of him. He disliked sweets and had made it a habit to leave the table while dessert was served. Tonight, however, something had held him back. Curiosity, he termed it, but it was not that so much as it was respect, perhaps, empathy. A rather impossible feeling he could not fully grasp. All he knew was that he did not wish to be counted amongst those who had left. For a very brief moment, he had almost wished he could have made them stay.

Another impossible impulse. Silently, he sighed and pushed his chair and left it in the empty room behind him.

...OOO...

* * *

**AN: **A little over a week. I've been bad with writing lately... kinda sick and doing a lot of sleeping. Leaves little energy for typing. Had to do this one twice, but I think it came out well, though excuse any spelling and grammatical errors that might have slipped by my weary head. Will check again after sleep.

Thank you to everyone for your lovely reviews! I'm so happy everyone is still enjoying this. :)


	20. Chapter 19: A Heaven Called Anywhere

**Chapter Nineteen**

**_A Heaven Called Anywhere_**

...OOO...**_  
_**

In the privacy of their rooms, Kikyo sank into a brocaded wingback chair that faced the fireplace, her dark brown eyes unfocused, her expression far away. She felt, more than anything, deflated like a balloon with an invisible pinprick leak, all her energy draining away. She didn't have enough to feel anything more than that—not indignation or anger or sadness…

_Sadness…_

Something inside her told her she should feel sad, and perhaps, she did, but at the moment, she did not care to admit or gratify it, finding it easier to settle for the stillness that came with being empty than the chaos of emotions that would have overwhelmed her if she let it. She had not expected a different reception in any case, and much of her dissatisfaction merely stemmed from the fact that they had been so petty as to allow Sakura to witness the spectacle of their hostility. If it had been Rin at the table, then they would have held themselves back, played the part of perfect politeness and civility. But because it had been Sakura, because it had been _her_ daughter, they had allowed that mask to slip, and she found it unforgivable.

Since that afternoon, the longing to leave hit her harder than ever and she wished, more than anything, to be able to take their meager belongings still packed in their suitcases and simple go. There was no reason to stand for it, she thought, though right away she knew that she was wrong and was deluding herself. It wasn't a matter of sparing her feelings or her dignity. It was a matter of securing the diamond, and with it, their freedom from fear, Sakura's future; and if the price was her dignity, then so be it.

She would hold on for just a little while longer.

…ooo…

From across the room, Sakura watched her _Maman_ sink into the chair and lean her head against its high back, her expression drifting farther and farther away, past the fireplace and the painting and the ceiling to fix upon some object only she could see. It scared the girl, these times when her _Maman _grew so small and quiet, giving her the impression that she was fading away and leaving Sakura behind. It scared her more than anything because she didn't know of a way to stop it, to ground her and keep her from disappearing. All she could do was watch quietly and pray that Kikyo would remember to come back.

It was her fault, Sakura thought, that _Maman_ was like this now. Oh, how stupid she had been, how selfish to have wished to stay in this house. When Kikyo had asked her if she'd liked to, she had been so overjoyed, so happy with the possibility of spending a week—even a day!—in such a fairytale place. Of course, she had found its residents daunting… scary, even, but it had never occurred to her to think that they would be so mean, so cruel to her _Maman_. It had never occurred to her that they would have a role to play, that they could somehow take away the magic of the house and turn it into something ugly, turn it into someplace that they should not stay.

What a terrible mistake it had been for her to agree, and, oh, how much she wished she could take it back, erase the faraway look in her _Maman's_ eyes. Quietly across the thick rugs, she tiptoed to where Kikyo sat and knelt beside her feet, placing her small hands on the woman's knees.

"Maman?" she whispered cautiously, careful not to tug her back too brashly.

For a moment, Kikyo stirred and her eyes refocused, settling on the girl at her feet. She managed a wan smile.

"Maman," Sakura repeated, a little more certainly this time. "Allons-y maintenant." _Let's go now_. _"I don't like it here,"_ she said. _"Please, let's leave."_

But Kikyo only smiled again, her hand stroking the top of Sakura's hair. "I'm sorry, Sakura. Please bear with it for just a little longer. I promise… when we leave, we'll go somewhere much nicer."

_"Where?" _she asked.

And Kikyo answered with a wistful sigh, "Anywhere."

Sakura thought about this promise later that night as she lay in bed. She didn't know where "anywhere" was exactly, but she trusted Kikyo when she said that it was someplace much nicer than here, and she imagined a little house with a little yard, trees that bloomed heavily in the spring and turned vibrant colors in the autumn, provided a nice shade in the summer where she could sit on the grass and read. She imagined a warm bright kitchen that smelled always of pleasant things to eat, and a cozy little room with a large bay window and a seat she could curl up in to take a nap in the afternoons. She imagined short walks to a playground where other kids frolicked, and a small school that still had an old fashioned bell to announce the start and end of class. She imagined, again, the little house they had rented so many months ago in a part of the world she could no longer name where they had been happy and had a home; and she realized that she would trade now all of this—the grandeur of this palace—if they could just go back and be happy again.

Anywhere, she thought, was indeed a very nice place.

Beside her on the bed, Kikyo had already fallen deeply into sleep, but Sakura was restless and… _hungry_. During dinner, she had eaten very little and now her stomach was empty again and demanding to be fed. She looked around the lavishly furnished bedroom around her bathed by bright full moonlight that streamed in through the tall windows, but there was nothing in it that was even remotely palatable to any creature besides a moth. Regardless, her stomach growled again, unmindful of her surroundings.

Reluctantly and quietly as she could, Sakura slipped out of the bed and padded into the sitting room that was just as promising as the bedroom, and she crossed to the door, hesitating only momentarily before turning the knob and opening it a crack. Outside, the hallway was well lit by softly glowing sconces, and it was empty. Not a stray servant in sight. Opening the door a little wider, she squeezed through and closed it behind her. Stalled shortly to make sure no one had heard her, no one was coming, before following the long hallway and turning at the corner.

She had only the vaguest sense of where she was going and had to stop often to search for familiar pieces of furniture and paintings to confirm her location and guide her along. Soon, she came across a wide set of stairs that she recognized and followed it down to the first floor where she readily found the dining room. And with the dining room, she thought, surely the kitchen could not have been too far away. She continued on, searching room after room, unaware that each one was growing more and more alien until she realized she was hopelessly lost, unable to even find the dining room or the stairs again. Everything around her had become very unfamiliar, and the hallway that she was now following seemed to stretch forever, turning here and there like a maze she could not keep up with.

On top of it all, her stomach kept growling.

Sakura was on the verge of tears and on the verge of giving up when she finally stumbled across the man with the yellow flowers. He was sitting on a tall chair in a small, circular enclave just off the main hallway, with a fireplace to one side, and a series of tall bookshelves alternating between tall, thin windows. The man was reading a paper, and Sakura stopped abruptly and took a step back, out of surprise and an instinctive fear of disturbing him.

He heard her anyway, the top of his paper dipping as he glanced above it to stare at the intruder. For a moment, he didn't say anything, and she wasn't sure whether she should stay and try to explain or run away and hope to find the stairs again. Before she could decide, the man folded his paper and stood up.

"La cuisine," she began and stopped, gulped down the lump that had been forming in her throat during the last several minutes. "Pardonnez-moi, monsieur." She dropped her gaze to the floor and took another small step back, wondering if he was angry that she had interrupted.

The man took a step forward, his long legs closing the gap between them. "What are you looking for?" he asked.

Taking it as a good sign, Sakura glanced up again and met his eyes at last, relieved to see that they didn't look angry or annoyed. "La cuisine," she repeated. "Em…" She bit her bottom lip, wondering how she could make him understand, then put a hand on her stomach and explained, "J'ai très faim."

The man said nothing as he walked past her, but she understood she was meant to follow and so complied, trying hard to keep up with his long, quick strides. He showed her out of the confusing hallway where she began to recognize certain things again, continuing on past the stairs and the dining room to a swinging set of double doors that—miraculously—opened into a large, well lit, and fully stocked kitchen. Sakura had to take a moment to gape in awe at the abundance of food piled everywhere—on the counters and the glass-front cabinets and the wall of open shelves. Boxes and cans and bags labeled with strange letters.

"What would you like?" the man asked her, and she looked around again, her eyes settling on a large bowl on an island counter spilling over with fruit.

"Une pomme, s'il vous plait," she requested politely, pointing at the bowl.

The man walked over, picked out a banana, and held up for her to see. Sakura shook her head.

"Une pomme," she repeated, making a shape with her hands. "Rouge."

Sesshomaru understood and found a large apple to give to her. She accepted it with a wide thankful smiled.

"Do you want to sit down?" he asked, pulling out a high stool next to the island. But the girl shook her head.

"Non. Merci beaucoup," she replied and happily devoured her apple on her feet. After she had finished and thrown away the core, he gave her a damp napkin to wipe her mouth and her hands, sticky with the sweet juice, and then led her again out of the kitchen, past the dining room, and up the stairs to the room where Kikyo was sleeping. He left her in front of the door.

"Merci, monsieur," she thanked him again, no longer timid or afraid. "Bonne nuit."

And this time, he answered, "Good-night," before turning around and walking away.

As quietly as she could, Sakura opened the door and slipped inside, tiptoeing in the dark into the bedroom where she crawled back in between the silky sheets of the bed. Leaning over, she pressed a quick kiss to Kikyo's cool forehead and settled back on her large pillow. Happily, she fell asleep, and happily, she dreamed of her small house in "anywhere", and a woman with soft hands and a gentle smile, anda tall, kind man who brought her apples and kept her safe from getting lost.

…OOO…

* * *

**AN: **My poor neglected readers! I'm sorry to have missed last week's update. Truth be told, I haven't been able to write _anything_ the last two weeks, suffering under this cloud of funk that's had me feeling rather blue and anti-social, caused me to lock myself in the bedroom and play **_Frontierville_** on Facebook all day long. A terrible state of being that's finally (hopefully?) been broken... at least for the time being. I've stayed up the last three nights (tonight included) until the wee hours, fueled by coffee, and typing away with feverish passion!

...Alright, so I exaggerate a small bit. But I have been writing (though it all needs to be badly refined) and at least there's finally an update!

Thank you everyone for the lovely reviews that keep me going as much as the caffeine. *Sobs with unabashed happiness*

(I'm getting kind of loopy now; I guess it's time for bed.)


	21. Chapter 20: An Ordinary Woman

**Chapter Twenty**

**_An Ordinary Woman_**

...OOO...**_  
_**

Bright morning sunlight shone in through the polished glass of the tall windows and fell in long, rectangular slices along the carpet and across the bed. Kikyo's eyes blinked open slowly, the last of night's sleep fading from her mind, her body. It took her no time to take in her surroundings and remember where she was.

Funny, she thought, this familiarity that she long ago thought had gone from her heart, from her memory. Funny to find it so intact and so ready.

One of the windows that led to the balcony had been left ajar and she could hear the sweet twittering of the birds that flitted about the many trees of the property, could smell the sweet, dewy scent of the roses wafting up from the garden below. After her parents had died, she had moved into the main house and for ten years, she had awoken every day to this same combination of sound, sight, and smell. When she ran away, she had never thought she would miss it, and all those years she had been gone, she never once thought about it, never once caught herself in an unguarded moment of reverie that traced back to these days she had, willingly and consciously, given up for something… _more_.

But today, it came back to her, those memories she had thought lost flooding back in with the sunshine, and for a moment, she was fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, getting up and getting ready for school. Her personal assistants, Kocho and Asuka would have already slipped in and out of the room, prepared her clothes, and run her bath. They would be downstairs now arranging her breakfast that they would take up to her room so she could eat it (in those days, the dining room was only ever used for dinner), and then they would have ushered her out the door to the car that was always waiting for her. And Inuyasha…

Inuyasha would come bounding across the lawn between their two houses, destroying flower beds and knocking over statues in his wake, grinning eagerly, a smile that said _"I'm so happy to see you"_, a smile that was only for her.

Kikyo sighed at the recollection. Funny, she thought, how easily she had been able to let it go; let _him_ go. Funny indeed how little her heart had wavered then. How little it wavered now.

Pushing herself to a sitting position, she slipped out of bed, careful not to disturb Sakura but to no avail. From her side, the girl turned, bleary eyes open and blinking back sleep.

"_Maman_?"

Kikyo smiled. "Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

The girl yawned as she sat up and rubbed her eyes with her small fists. "J'ai fait un rêve," she drawled. _"I had a dream. And you were there and so was that man. We had a little house and a garden full of flowers."_

"That sounds nice," Kikyo commented idly. She reached for her brush resting on the nightstand and began running it through her hair in long, even strokes that caught no knots. "Who was the man?"

"Vous savez," Sakura replied. "Em… _The man with the yellow flowers._"

"Yellow flowers?"

"Oui, _Maman_. Le monsieur au vissage effrayant."

"Did he frighten you?" Kikyo raised a worried brow, not sure of whom it was she was speaking of.

"Non. Il est très gentil." _He is very nice,_ she said. _"I was hungry and he gave me an apple."_

Kikyo smiled again and transferred the brush to Sakura's head, working out the tangles from her impressively thick mane. "I hope you remembered to say thank you," she teased.

"Oui, _Maman_. _I like him very much_."

Finishing with her hair, Kikyo ushered her into the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth, and they began their day, memories of past lives forgotten for the moment until they went downstairs to find the dining room empty and breakfast waiting for them, instead, in the glass conservatory just before the rose garden. Kikyo had to stop as she saw the spread, their little table for two surrounded by silver carts loaded with pastries and fruit and covered plates of eggs prepared half a dozen ways, bacon and ham and little sausages, porcelain pots of tea and coffee, pitchers of juice, jars of jams and preserves and honey. A familiar sight. Something that had greeted her on the weekend mornings when she had no school or tutoring lessons, when she was free and Midoriko was home, and the two of them took a late breakfast together in this same room, in this same spot, with these same plates, and this same service.

A maid greeted them with a friendly smile and a reverent bow. "Good morning, Milady," she spoke without affectation. "My name is Sayo, and I've been given the honor of serving you today. Please take a seat," she said, pulling out the two heavy chairs from the table. "I hope breakfast is to your liking—we weren't quite sure what you might want this morning."

"Tell me, did Midoriko ask you to do this?" Kikyo inquired, keeping her tone idle as she led Sakura to a chair.

"Yes, of course, Milady. As I've heard it, Lady Midoriko has spoken personally to the head housekeeper and has instructed us to see to your every need and comfort during your stay."

"I see…" Kikyo didn't know whether or not to be amused, and wondered how well Midoriko knew this girl—her penchant for chattiness—and if that was, as well, part of whatever plan she was hatching. But all she said was, "Thank you, Sayo."

"Of course, milady. May I start you with some coffee or perhaps tea this morning?" she asked, raising one of the pots.

"No, thank you," Kikyo dismissed. "If you don't mind, we'll serve ourselves this morning."

The maid seemed taken aback with the request. "Are you sure, milady?" She stared wide-eyed at Kikyo, as if such a petition was unheard of in this house… which Kikyo believed it very well was. It was a fact of life, after all, in the manor—hovering maids and butlers who waited on a person hand and foot. It was what she had been raised on, what she was used to, and, more importantly, what she had left behind her.

"Yes," she answered decisively. "We'll be alright, thank you."

"Oh… As you wish then, milady." The maid bowed again. "There's a bell by the side table, of course. Please don't hesitate to use it should you need me."

"Thank you," Kikyo noted politely, and with a final bow, the maid left, closing the French doors behind her.

"_Maman_," Sakura commented when they were alone. _"Why did she call you 'milady'?"_

Pouring milk into a tall glass, Kikyo smiled at the question. "That's just what they do here, that's all."

_"Should I call others like that, then?"_

"No," Kikyo answered gently, serving her the glass along with some eggs and a Danish. "No one, do you understand? It's not for us to call anyone anything."

"Porquoi?"

Reaching over, Kikyo stroked her hair, planted a short kiss on her temple, and smiled. "Because you and I, my darling, are beyond such things."

"_Maman?_"

"Hm?"

_"Are you a princess?"_

Kikyo suppressed a small laugh. "No. I'm not a princess; just an ordinary woman. Now please," she urged. "Eat your breakfast."

...ooo…

* * *

**AN: **Hullo. Sorry for this late, late update. If you didn't hear, my laptop charger died, so I had to buy a new one, and I've been semi-mired in preparations for a camping trip this upcoming week (which means I probably won't be able to update during that time, either). Anyway, to try and make up for it, I'll try and post another update later tonight or tomorrow morning. (Already working on it! But no, I couldn't wait and make it one chapter... it just didn't seem to work.)

Anyway, thanks once more for the reviews. Someday, I hope to be as dedicated as some of you. Lols.


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